


Duet

by Asphyxia



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Old work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-02-14 02:38:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12997998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asphyxia/pseuds/Asphyxia
Summary: Set immediately after the events of the anime. In need of a performing arts credit for her transcript, Haruhi seeks piano lessons from Tamaki. The result is a bit more bonding than either of them ever expected. Meanwhile, with the current future of the Suoh family uncertain, Tamaki has some difficult decisions to make if he has any hope of becoming heir.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Before I get started, I want to just give everyone a heads up that this is an old fanfiction I wrote back in the days when Ouran was still an ongoing manga (though this takes place after the events of the anime). That said, the writing style may be a little clunky in some parts because I wrote it when I was in my early twenties and I've come a long way since then, but aside from correcting grammar errors I want to leave this piece in its original state for the sake of nostalgia, so please bear with me! I made a lot of friends across devianart and FFN because of this fic when I wrote it and originally posted it, and I wanted to put it here too because it's very dear to me and I want my friends to be able to read it but I'm too embarrassed to link them to my cringey old FFN account! 
> 
> Thanks so much in advance for reading this. It brought me so much joy to write it and I really hope some of you are able to find joy in it yourselves when you read it!

In the smoky dusk air, Suoh Tamaki absentmindedly twirled a loose thread on his sweater around and around in his fingers. Éclair Tonnerre, silent and much less moody than he had anticipated, given the events of the previous day, stood beside him. She watched him with a vague interest as though he was a painting.

"You delayed your flight," he said softly, and Éclair's driver, who had been nodding off on the hard airport bench, snapped suddenly awake. "I didn't expect you to do that."  
Éclair smiled faintly. "I had to come back. To say thank you for everything. For being so kind to me although I probably didn't deserve it. I tried to bribe you into marrying me with the one thing I was sure you wanted, and so your kindness was very surprising. Even now, you're being kind to me. You didn't have to see me off."  
Tamaki smiled back. "I wanted to," he assured her as the woman at the booth beside the terminal announced that the plane was now beginning boarding. "I couldn't let a lady go to the airport unescorted."

"And that is why women will always love you," Éclair said with a small smile as she shouldered her bag rather elegantly and made her way toward her exit. "Goodbye, Tamaki Suoh."

"Goodbye, Lady Éclair," he waved, all traces of bitterness gone. As he watched her leave, his shoulders slumped with a sigh. The slim girl disappeared onto the plane, and with her disappeared his last chance at seeing his mother.  
"I know I'm making the right choice," he reminded himself as he turned away and began walking briskly in the direction of the exit, where his own driver was waiting. "I have to be making the right choice. I'm needed here, after all."

Despite the certainty he felt at this statement, it was a heavy loneliness that bubbled up to follow him into his car and down the roads to the bright emptiness of his home.

 

****

**XXX**

Somewhere in the back of her mind, though Fujioka Haruhi was focused wholeheartedly on her classwork, she was dimly aware of a voice calling to her from what seemed to be a great distance.

"Fujioka-kun? Fujioka-kun!" all at once she was jarred from her concentration and jumped in surprise. With Hikaru and Kaoru snickering on either side of her, Haruhi raised her gaze to the front of the classroom, where the teacher was staring at her with what looked to be amusement.

"What is it, Nakahara-sensei?" she asked the clean-cut man holding a slip of paper in one hand. Still a bit fuzzy to the outside world from the deep focus she had been investing in her textbook, she had to blink several times before everything stopped looking blurry around her.

"You have a slip from the office," he informed her, holding it out. For a moment, Haruhi wondered if it was a joke. "From Chairman Suoh. It requests that you come down to his office immediately. It's marked 'urgent'."

"Really? But I haven't broken any rules," she explained, trying not to feel chastised. "Are you sure there hasn't been some mistake?"

"Ooh, Haruhi's in trouble," Hikaru snickered from her right side. Nakaharu-sensei shot him a sharp look.

"No, I don't think it's a mistake. It requests that Fujioka Haruhi come to Chairman Suoh's office immediately, and I suggest you do just that."

"Okay." Numbly, Haruhi climbed from her seat and walked to the front of the room. She took the paper from her teacher's outstretched hand and gathered her books, heading for the door. She could feel the eyes of her classmates on her. _'Take a picture, why don't you?_ ' she thought grumpily as she trudged out the door and down the hallway, staring at the paper in her hand with a kind of abstract horror.

"What could I possibly have done wrong?" she asked aloud, moving past the enormous windows in the empty hallway. "It must be a mistake. I can't remember breaking any rules at all…"

Chairman Suoh's office was at the end of the central corridor, and it had a rather posh reception area—which Haruhi realized she should have expected. This _was_ Ouran Academy, after all— where the pretty, young secretary motioned toward the door with the Chairman's name on it. She entered rather nervously to find Yuzuru Suoh sitting at his desk, watching the door as though he expected her to enter right then.

"Haruhi-chan!" the elegant man exclaimed as she closed the door behind her. "I've been expecting you. Please, have a seat." he motioned toward the claw-footed chair that matched the refinement of the office and Haruhi sat, folding and refolding the slip of paper in her hands.

"With all due respect, Chairman," Haruhi began with a deep breath. "I don't think I've done anything wrong. I'm not really sure why I'm here."

Yuzuru laughed. It was a deep, warm sound that reminded her of his son. "It's nothing like that, Haruhi-chan. I've only called you down to discuss a problem with your credits!"

"Then… why did you mark 'urgent' on the slip and write that I needed to come down immediately?" Haruhi asked, holding up the paper as a visual aid. Yuzuru laughed again.  
"I always do that! That way, students don't spend a lot of time messing around in the halls before they come to see me because they're worried they did something terribly wrong," he explained, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the desk and his lips against his hands.

"That seems a little shrewd," Haruhi said and then clammed up quickly when she remembered who she was talking to.

"Does it?" Yuzuru seemed amused. "I like to think of it as incentive! Now, about your credits. It's been brought to my attention that you aren't taking any classes that give a performing arts credit."

"Oh, no," Haruhi said a bit sheepishly, relieved that she didn't seem to be in trouble. She felt a bit more at ease now and she was able to relax and take in her surroundings. The office was sumptuously decorated, and Haruhi had to wonder if he had chosen the décor himself and managed a wry smile. Like father, like son, she thought. Yuzuru looked quite more like his son than she had realized before, too. "It's not really my thing."

"I don't know if the staff neglected to mention this during your orientation, but in order to graduate from Ouran Academy, all students must have a minimum of two semesters of performing arts. It's part of the curriculum. Generally if first year students opt not to take performing arts classes we don't think much of it, because it can be a lot to juggle with your other requirements as a first year and performing arts credits from middle school can sometimes be carried over if necessary. But since you didn't attend middle school at Ouran, that's impossible."

"Oh…" Haruhi said rather numbly, wondering where this was going.

"And I understand you're taking a class on the study of law as an elective for the next two years, right?"

"Uh… right. Well, actually just second term next year and then both terms my third year."

"Well, that simply doesn't leave any room for your performing arts credits. So here's what we need to do; we need to drop your study hall after this term and get you into a class that offers a performing arts credit for next term and the first term next year. I would suggest one of the various drama clubs, or the music club. Many of the clubs at Ouran are funded by the administration and therefore provide credits."

"But I can't act," Haruhi said helplessly, cringing at the memory of her acting debut in Lobelia Academy's play. "And I don't play any instruments."

"You might as well try one then, right? I'd suggest piano; it's the least stressful for a novice."

"Do they teach you how to play in the music club?" Haruhi asked hopefully, and Yuzuru looked tragic.

"Alas, you'll have to find an outside tutor for that. I think the remainder of this term should be enough time to learn the basics."

"I can't afford that," Haruhi's prospects were beginning to look extremely bleak, and she wondered how this was all going to pan out.

"Then you can always ask one of the students here. My son is a very accomplished pianist," Yuzuru said this with a certain amount of undisguised pride. "And since you two are close, I'm sure he wouldn't mind teaching you."

For a moment, Haruhi's head swirled, and then everything clicked. "Oh, Tamaki-senpai? You think he would?" she asked, and Yuzuru nodded. "Okay… then I guess I'll ask him."

"Splendid!" Yuzuru declared, nodding. "You go ahead and start learning piano and I'll get you set up with the music club for next semester." he opened the folder on the desk before him, and with a pen he started making a series of check marks that Haruhi didn't bother to wonder about.

"Okay," she said, standing and heading for the door. "Thanks for helping me clear everything up."

"It was no trouble," Yuzuru called in a singsong voice as she exited the room, closing the door behind her. Relieved that the whole situation was over, she headed back for her classroom, walking slowly as she mulled everything over in her head. Now all that was left was to ask Tamaki for help. She sighed slightly as she shuffled along.

Something inside her told her she had good reason not to be looking forward to it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all those who have read so far! I appreciate the kudos and bookmarks very much! I'm really happy people seem to be enjoying this, because I'm a little self-concious about my old writing style. I'll try to upload chapter three sooner than I did chapter two. I've been a little busy, but you don't need to worry about me abandoning this fic at least, since it's been finished for years c:

As the final preparations of the Monday afternoon were being made for the following morning, there was a brief moment when Ootori Kyouya scrutinized Haruhi over the rims of his glasses, and she felt his eyes on her as surely as one would feel the sensation of water rushing past their ankles.

"Haruhi."

"What is it, Kyouya-senpai?" the brunette asked him slowly, setting down the tea set she was arranging on one of the tables for the following morning’s guests. There was already a sense of controlled chaos about music room three this afternoon with the club president having bolted on preparations and headed home immediately after the bell rang, and Haruhi did not particularly want to know what the dark haired boy had in store for her now as he fixed her with that appraising stare. His eyes were a shade gentler than normal when he spoke, however, and it was slightly reassuring.

"I need you to run an errand for me," the vice president informed her. "And don't give me anything about not being the Host Club's dog anymore."  
Haruhi promptly closed her mouth at the second statement. 

"Alright, then," she agreed more than a little reluctantly. "What kind of errand is this? What do you want me to do?"

Kyouya handed her a colored bundle and turned his eyes back to the papers that were spread out across the table in front of him. "Tamaki rushed off after classes without bothering to try on his cosplay for Club activities tomorrow. He's been putting off the fitting all week, and if there need to be any adjustments made, they're going to need to be made tonight. I need you to take the costume over to his house and make sure he tries it on."

"Fine," Haruhi sighed lightly and tucked the folded cloth into her bag with her books. "I'll take it over on my way to run errands."

"Thank you," cool as a cucumber, Kyouya was busily scratching away at something in a ledger and didn't even look up as Haruhi moved to leave the music room. He held out a small slip of paper with an address written on it, and she took it and memorized it before slipping it into the pocket of her blazer for safekeeping.

"I'd be careful if I were you," Hikaru told Haruhi, sliding up in front of her as she reached for the door handle.

"Yeah, tono's been acting weird lately," Kaoru continued.

"Why should I be careful?" Haruhi asked, moving to get past the twins who blocked her path. "It's not like he ever acts normal. Besides, it’s not like he’s going to barricade me inside his house."

Hikaru rolled his eyes. "That's not what we're worried about."

"Stop it, you two," Haruhi scolded. "I need to get this done so I can get some grocery shopping done afterward. I'm going to go now... maybe you should at least _try_ helping Mori-senpai set up for tomorrow?"

"No can do, Haruhi!" the Hitachiins told her together as she managed to pull open one of the pink double doors and slip out through the opening. As she left the music room behind, she breathed a sight of relief and hurried down the hallway, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She muttered quick greetings to those who acknowledged her in the halls and when she finally made it up the long drive and out through the school gates, she set herself into a comfortably hurried pace. The sun was bright and warm; it was a perfect early spring day, and everything looked a little brighter than normal set with the optimistic glow of it all. Haruhi could not resist humming under her breath. The second Suoh mansion was a little out of her way, which meant it would take her roughly fifteen extra minutes to go in the appropriate direction and get to the grocery store when she was finished. She sighed a little grudgingly as she walked on, enjoying the bright sunshine on her cheeks.

"Why couldn't he have just tried his costume on before he left today?" she mused aloud, causing a little boy chasing his ball down the sidewalk to give her a strange look. "It would have made a lot more sense than making someone come out of their way... oh well. I guess that's just Tamaki-senpai."  
As the houses around her began to get larger and the neighborhoods began to get more and more manicured, Haruhi knew she was nearing her destination. She pulled out the paper Kyouya had given her just to be sure when she reached the street mentioned on it and walked up to the specified house number's enormous iron gate. There was no doubt she was in the right place; the gate was emblazoned with a large letter S. The western-style house itself was even more impressive, standing at the end of a long drive and seeming to glow in the sunlight like Tamaki himself.

"Um... good afternoon. I have something for Suoh Tamaki," she said by way of announcing herself into the small speaker mounted on an ivy covered pillar beside the gate.

"Your name, please?" asked a very official sounding man's voice.

"Fujioka. Fujioka Haruhi," she replied. There was only a brief pause before the gates swung inward to give her entrance. "Thanks," she remembered to say before entering the gate.  
Since her first day at Ouran Academy, Haruhi had grown increasingly used to going up long paths and driveways to get to buildings, but Tamaki's home was set further back on the grounds than any she had seen to date. It was a slightly breathless Haruhi who reached the front doors after walking more quickly than normal up the perfectly paved parkway that she guessed would normally be used for guests to drive up to the door in limousines. The front doors were enormous, and they opened before Haruhi's clenched fist even came into contact with the wood.

"Good afternoon, Fujioka-chan!" gushed the frilly-clothed maid who had opened the door. "You said you had something for Tamaki-sama?" she smiled brightly at Haruhi, who felt a bit overwhelmed.

"Yeah, I do. I brought his costume for the Host Club tomorrow. Kyouya-senpai wanted me to make sure he tried it on so the adjustments could be made before tomorrow. Do you want to give it to him? Should I?" feeling slightly silly, Haruhi drew the bundle of cloth from her school bag. She had never actually seen Tamaki's home before, and even the entrance hall with its double red-draped staircases was more than twice the size of her own apartment. It was more than she could do not to be impressed.

"I think Tamaki-sama would really like it if you gave it to him," the maid told Haruhi, motioning for her to follow her up one of the staircases. "He's been very lonely lately."

"Lonely?" Haruhi was slightly taken aback. It took a moment to really register as she followed the cheerful servant down large, high ceilinged corridors and past large and impressive ivory doors. It had not occurred to her that Tamaki, who was constantly surrounded by people that adored him at school, even had the _capacity_ to be lonely.

"Yes," the maid replied. "He misses his mother very much, especially recently after the situation with Lady Éclair. Sometimes he's almost inconsolable." suddenly the young woman clapped her hands over her mouth, still walking. From somewhere in the building, Haruhi could hear faint music playing, and she strained her ears. "Oh dear... I don't know if Tamaki-sama would have wanted me to tell you all that."

"It's okay... Tamaki-senpai is one of my best friends. I guess things like that are good to know. And... I won't tell him you told me."

"Thank you, Fujioka-chan! You're just as kind as Tamaki-sama said you were!" the maid exclaimed, and Haruhi raised an eyebrow. "He talks about you very often," the maid explained, and Haruhi felt her cheeks heat up, though she did her best to hide it. "He makes you sound wonderful. Oh, here we are! Tamaki-sama is playing the piano, so he's in his music room. You can go right in!"

"Did anyone warn him I was coming?" Haruhi asked, at which the maid sweatdropped slightly.

"I... forgot about that," she confessed, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. "But I'm sure he won't mind you dropping in."

"Okay..." Haruhi nodded and placed a hand on the doorknob. "Thanks for bringing me to him."

"No problem!" the maid slid back around the corner, and Haruhi shifted the bundle of cloth in her arms and turned the door handle.  
As the door opened beneath her hand, the music grew louder and she stepped into the room amid the swirling sound of the clear notes. The room was large and furnished with several armchairs and a sofa, and a fireplace completed the comfortable effect with the soft piano music weaving through the air. The melody was soothing, and she stood silently for a moment until she caught sight of Tamaki at the bench of the piano that stood near the windows. Cautiously, she moved farther into the room. Tamaki played the quick, melancholy piece with a kind of intense focus, and it looked to Haruhi as though he was in a different world, the person behind those turbulent eyes completely removed from the ordinary universe.

"Tamaki-senpai?" she asked finally, breaking the spell, and the blonde on the piano bench jumped visibly. Slowly, he lifted his hands from the keys and turned his torso slightly to face her.

"Haruhi!" as his eyes fell on her, the emptiness in his expression faded immediately and left a glittering smile in its place. Almost instantaneously he was up from the piano bench and striding across the room to her. "You came to see me!"

When Tamaki reached her, he pulled her spontaneously into a rib-crushing embrace, and Haruhi yelped, dropping her bag and the carefully folded outfit onto the floor, where it fluttered out and landed like some kind of enormous butterfly.

"I'm so happy you came to see me!" Tamaki gushed. For a moment, it was difficult to believe that the loneliness she had seen in his expression as he played had even been there at all. She knew better than to dismiss it so readily, however, and put it in the back of her mind to ask him about it someday when her lungs were not being fiercely compressed.

"Senpai… I can't breathe," Haruhi wheezed, pressed hard against the tall blonde's chest with what felt like the force of a steamroller. "Let me go."

"Oh! Oh, right…" quickly, his arms released Haruhi, and she stumbled back, choking just a bit, and regained her bearings. "What did you want to see me about? You look far too purposeful for it to be just a friendly visit."

"Oh. Right," Haruhi bent and gathered the books that had slid out of her school bag and along with them the fluttery costume. "You ran off right after the bell rang today, before you could have your fitting, and Kyouya-senpai asked me to bring your cosplay for tomorrow over so you could make sure it doesn't need any alterations."

"Oh, I forgot about that. Of course it would be something like that! Right!" Tamaki seemed very faintly awkward, and he took the bundle of cloth from her outstretched hands.  
"And this is it? Lovely. Okay! I'll… I'll try it on! If you would feel more comfortable, you could wait in the hall…"

"There's no reason for me to do that. It seems a little excessive." Haruhi turned around to offer him some privacy, and he mumbled his thanks quickly. She could hear the sounds of cloth rustling as he shed his clothes, and she crossed her arms. "Hey, Tamaki-senpai?"

"Yes?" he asked in a slightly uncomfortable voice. Obviously he found this whole situation far more embarrassing than she did, and it was faintly amusing. With the way he was jumping around, he seemed to be trying to change clothes as quickly as possible.

"I don't mean to pry but… why exactly _did_ you skip out on club preparations today? It's not like you to miss anything for the club."  
Tamaki paused, and she was extremely conscious of the air growing tenser. "Oh, isn't it?" he asked in an overly casual voice, and Haruhi could hear him fumble. "It was nothing, really. I guess I just… nothing! Nothing at all! I guess I just needed some time to myself! I'm done changing, you can look now!"  
The slightest bit frustrated by his dodging of the question, Haruhi turned and fixed her senpai with an unwavering stare. He was clothed in the floor-length linen of the tunic, which was a handsome cream color offset by the bright golds and turquoises of the accessories.

"Well, what do you think? Do I look fabulous?" Tamaki asked, winking at her. Despite his carefree attitude, the look from before was back in his eyes, and Haruhi simply stared at him, wishing she could somehow delve deep behind his cheerful façade and know what exactly it was that was bothering him.

"You look fine," she replied, and Tamaki wilted slightly.

"Just fine?" he whined, and Haruhi rolled her eyes.

"That's not the most important thing that's going on here. Are you okay? Because ever since the festival, you've been acting strange. Do you need to talk about it?"  
Almost instantly Tamaki's expression closed itself off, and he turned away quickly and straightened out some sheet music on the stand on the front of the piano. His hands worked in frenzied, jerky movements.

"There's nothing to talk about," he told her finally, straightening up completely and turning to face her with a sunny, forced smile. "Everything is just fine."

"Senpai…"

"Thank you for stopping by, Haruhi," Tamaki said with exaggerated cheeriness. "But I have a lot to do, and I'm guessing you have a busy day ahead of you, too! The costume fits just fine, as you can see, so there's no need to worry about that. Go ahead and go home." he was ushering her gently toward the door as he spoke, and Haruhi had a vague desire the fight back, to stop him from pushing her away. In the end, though, he succeeded in closing the door. And in more than one sense, Haruhi mused as she walked home grumbling, shutting her out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long! I've been dealing with some personal issues since the last update! But since this story is complete already it'll never be an issue of me giving up on it asdfghj. Thank you for your patience! I've seen some people commenting and bookmarking that I remember from back in the old days when I was writing this! It's really good to see you guys around and know you're still carrying the Ouran flag.
> 
> And I don't know if I forgot to mention, but this goes 100% off of the anime's canon because I was writing it while the manga was still ongoing so I couldn't really risk all the continuity errors I would have had if I'd tried to write an ongoing piece based on the manga. So if there are any issues with conflicting with canon, that's why!

"Tamaki-senpai!" 

In the bustling corridor before class, getting her senpai's attention was no easy task. Haruhi jogged toward him as he moved down the hallway. At least he was impossible to miss, Haruhi couldn't help thinking; as far as she knew there were no other tall blondes with noticeably European features that attended Ouran Academy. She most likely would have lost him if he didn’t stand out so much, given the fact that she didn't generally move even half as fast as he did.

"Hey! Tamaki-senpai!" Haruhi shouted as they neared the athletics hall, and received several strange looks from the students around her." Tamaki-senpai!" finally the blonde seemed to hear her and stopped, turning and waiting for her with an indistinguishable expression on his face.

"Good morning, Haruhi," he said cheerfully when she caught up to him, panting. His hair was damp from a recent shower and he carried himself with much less undisguised melancholy than last night. "Do you need something?"

"Yes, actually," Haruhi managed to wheeze, still struggling to catch her breath. Tamaki looked concerned. 

"Do you need to go to the nurse?" he asked, and Haruhi shook her head quickly. 

"No. I was just doing a lot of running. You move a lot faster than I do," she admitted sheepishly, and Tamaki waited patiently for her to catch her breath. Once her head wasn't swimming anymore, she wiped her brow. "I actually… wanted to ask you for a favor, senpai." 

"Really? What is it? I'd love to do you a favor!" Tamaki seemed genuinely cheerful, and for a moment it was almost impossible to remember the sad look in his eyes the previous evening. 

"Well… I need a performing arts credit to graduate, so your father got me set up to be in the music club. But I don't know anything about music and I was wondering if maybe you could… give me piano lessons sometime?" asking for help was a foreign thing for Haruhi, and so most of the words came out in one long breath that forced her to gasp several times after she finished speaking. As she had expected, her apprehension for asking him was pointless; a smile spread across Tamaki's face and he was already nodding furiously before he even spoke.

"Of course I'll teach you piano, Haruhi! I'm honored that you would come to me! We can get started as soon as you want. What days are free after school for you?"

"I don't usually have much to do aside from homework. So whatever time works for you."

"Then how about Tuesdays and Thursdays? You can come to my house after school for a few hours. That should give us plenty of time."

"Okay," Haruhi smiled at Tamaki as he nodded happily and waved at her and then turned and continued on his way toward class. Haruhi turned sharply and headed in the direction of her classroom as well, knowing full well she wasn't going to make it there before the bell rang but finding somehow she didn't really mind.

"See you in the club room later!" Tamaki's voice shouted in parting as they headed their own separate ways. Haruhi shifted her books and smiled a bit to herself, wondering if maybe she really had just imagined that lonely, empty look in his eyes. 

 

**XXX**

 

"Haruhi-kun, you look so cute in your outfit!" Momoka exclaimed, and Haruhi gave her a winning "host smile" and glanced down at the costume; an Egyptian-style tunic dress which, to her chagrin, matched Tamaki's exactly. The Hosts and their customers sat on brightly colored cushions in the center of the room. The chairs and tables had been pushed away, aside from a small central one to rest teapots on. There was a general feeling of nervousness among the Hosts; spilling tea on the expensive cushions would result in a swift death at the hand of the Shadow King. The slightest wrong move could result in disaster, and even the twins were on their best behavior. 

"Thanks," Haruhi replied, pouring another cup of tea for a guest to her left. "I'm glad you like it."

"If you like them, be sure to check out our mother's spring fashion line," Kaoru said, leaning over Hikaru to take a delicate tea cookie. 

"Oh, did your mother make these, Hikaru-kun?" asked one of the guests, and Kaoru nodded, grinning. "Yes, she did, but I'm Kaoru." 

"Sorry, Kaoru-kun!" the girl exclaimed. 

"It's so cool that your mother makes all the host club's outfits," Sakurazuka said dreamily, sipping at her tea. "I wish my mother could do something like that." 

"Kyouya-senpai's and Hunny-senpai's mothers actually helped a little too. They got together and ordered all the fabrics," Hikaru said, plucking at his pale blue costume. "They actually came from Egypt. There's linen and silk and cotton. And a lot of the accessories are on loan from a museum. Mori-senpai's mother has a lot of connections." 

"What about your mother, Tamaki-kun?" Kanako asked curiously over the rim of a Worchester teacup. "Did she help out with the Egypt theme too?" 

Tamaki, who had been smiling winningly at one of his regulars, froze for a moment and then turned his head to look at Kanako, obviously slightly stunned. "What?" he asked, sounding more than a bit dazed. As a collective unit the rest of the club held its breath. Of course it was an honest mistake. Kanako didn't know about the situation with Tamaki's mother; virtually no one outside the club did. So it was a perfectly innocent question to ask, and should in turn, receive a sane answer. 

"I asked if your mother helped with the theme, Tamaki-kun."

Of course, it was Tamaki they were dealing with, however. Almost immediately the host club king's face clouded over with misery, and he looked away over Kanako's shoulder. Far, far away, as though he was staring into another galaxy. His iris-colored eyes were distant, and for a moment there was a stifling silence in the room. 

"No, she didn't," Tamaki said finally, giving Kanako a charming smile. The tension in the room was almost unbearable, and Haruhi twisted the fabric of her tunic lightly and fixed Tamaki with a pleading stare that he didn't seem to notice.

_'Please don't give everyone a reason to panic,'_ she thought. For once, Tamaki did the sensible thing and simply continued to smile in the usual way he did in front of customers. He was calm and serene and friendly, but his eyes said it all and when he kissed the back of his current customer's hand and excused himself with the explanation that he had forgotten something in his last period classroom, Haruhi got up with a similar excuse and followed him. She knew it was silly, but she simply couldn't help herself. There was no possible way she could have imagined _that_ look. It was a look so lonely and so desperate that for a fleeting moment, Haruhi had to wonder how long he had had that look before she had started noticing it.

In the hallway Tamaki moved with grim determination, and it took Haruhi several minutes to catch up to him. When he finally ducked behind the velvet curtain that housed an ornate bust of some nameless Japanese war hero, Haruhi was finally able to close the distance between them. His legs were much longer than hers, and he was impossibly faster than she was. The result was that she felt like she had just run a marathon, and her head swam uncomfortably. Struggling to catch her breath, Haruhi rested her hands on her knees.

"Senpai… you shouldn't… run off like that," she wheezed, looking up at him through the sweaty fringe of bangs that clung to her forehead from running. Tamaki looked surprised to see her. He looked like he had been preparing to cry and then stopped abruptly when he caught sight of Haruhi. "Everyone will worry."

"I'm sorry," Tamaki sounded genuinely apologetic, and it was honestly a bit heart-wrenching. He hung his head and sniffed, and the obvious way he was holding back tears made Haruhi sorry she had said anything. "I didn't mean to run off. I just didn't… well… it's silly. I just didn't want anyone to see me cry," he sounded sheepish, and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, a gesture that gave Haruhi a stab of memory; herself doing the same at her mother's funeral. All at once she was filled to bursting with compassion and didn't know quite how to express it. Words failed her for a moment, and so she rested her hand as tenderly as she could on his arm. He looked surprised but in his eyes was an innocent glimmer of hope.

"What's going on, Tamaki-senpai?" she asked him rather gently. "Since the festival, something's been wrong. I've noticed it. We've all noticed it. So tell me what it is. Maybe I can help."

Tamaki smiled, warm and sincere and a little sad. "You're very kind, Haruhi. But I don't think it's anything you can help with. Thank you, though."

Haruhi stood her ground. "Please tell me what's wrong. I won't be able to make you feel better if I don't even know what's wrong." it was a long shot, but to her surprise, it seemed to have an impact. Tamaki's eyes slowly began to trickle. 

"I just miss her so much, Haruhi. My mother, I mean. I almost got to see her, and I gave up that chance willingly. I could have seen her and I'm beginning to worry I'll never see her again and… and… and… I'm just so lonely!" Tamaki was actually crying now, and it took Haruhi by surprise when he grabbed her and clung to her. She found herself crushed against his chest by that unstoppable pressure again, but this time the entire feeling was different. A genuinely forlorn Tamaki was something she had no experience with, and it made her ache inexplicably. "I know it's silly because I have my friends and my father and my grandmother and all the princesses but… I can't help it, Haruhi. I still feel so lonely! It feels like I have a piece missing and I don't know how to fill it." Tamaki sniffled. This side of him was new, and Haruhi wasn't exactly sure how to respond to it. It was normal for him to weep over silly things, but the fact that these tears were genuine put a tinge of desperation in the air. Meekly she hugged him back and let him weep against the collar of her shirt, wondering if she even had enough of an impact on his feelings to be able to comfort him. 

"I know how you feel, in a way," she said finally as Tamaki pulled back, wiping his eyes. He seemed to be calming down, and Haruhi waited until he was mostly composed to continue. "About missing your mother, I mean. So if you feel lonely maybe… it would help if we started spending some time together? I know it's not the same as having your mother back but it's… it's something, right?"

Tamaki seemed to perk up slightly. "Really?" a bit of hope glimmered in his eyes, and for a moment Haruhi felt the unexplainable, irresistible urge to touch him, to comfort him somehow. She settled for patting his arm, though it seemed a bit empty and insufficient. 

"Sure. Maybe on some days when we aren't doing piano lessons, you could come over to my house. I could teach you how to make some simple foods if you want, and we could just… talk." Haruhi could not help feeling slightly awkward, but Tamaki began to radiate sparkles, prompting her to take a step back. 

"Thank you, Haruhi!" he crushed her in his arms again, and this time Haruhi was relieved to see that the heavy feeling of misery was gone from the air. For the first time she could remember, she didn't really mind the feeling of her lungs being compressed by what felt like a two-ton truck. 

However, she could not help the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that her company was simply not going to be enough.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to update a little quicker now, but with Sakuracon coming up, who knows if that will happen before April haha. Lots of work to do! But for now, I can at least do one a week.

When Haruhi arrived at Suoh mansion number two right on time at five o' clock, she was greeted by the entire fleet of staff, standing at attention on either side of the door and grinning at her. More than a bit overwhelmed, she followed the grinning butler who had opened the door into the enormous, gleaming foyer. 

"Good evening, Fujioka-chan!" they chorused, and Haruhi smiled, a little confused.

"Did I miss something?" she asked, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. The maids around her giggled.

"Tamaki-sama told us all about how he's giving you piano lessons," the butler explained with a smile. "And also that you two are going to be spending more time together besides."

"We're very happy that you're going out of your way to make Tamaki-sama happy and help cure his loneliness! Any friend of Tamaki-sama's is a friend of ours," the maid from the last time she had visited the house continued.

"Oh…" Haruhi wasn't entirely sure what to say, so she settled for simply smiling. "Well, Tamaki-senpai _is_ my friend. So of course I want to make him happy," she replied, at which the staff shared conspiratory smiles. Haruhi was about to inquire them about it when she heard a small, happy squeak from somewhere in the vicinity of the staircase.

"Haruhi! Come in!" Tamaki exclaimed while he was rushing down the white marble steps and obviously making a conscious effort not to trip over his own feet. 

"I'm already inside," she replied, but common sense was wasted on him and soon he was already at her side, taking her hand excitedly. "Thank you for coming so promptly, Haruhi! Let's get started. I have things all ready for your first lesson in my music room, so let's go!" He was practically bursting with excitement, and Haruhi felt rather bland beside him and he dragged her forward by the hand, all the while yipping happily about his plans for her lesson. It was with an excited gentleness that he pulled her toward the staircase.

"Please try not to exhaust her, Tamaki-sama," Shima warned him, and Tamaki gave her a shocked, almost offended look.

"Why Shima-san, I'm surprised at you! When have I ever exhausted anyone?" he asked, looking mildly horrified. "I can assure you that I'll do no such thing!" with that he swept Haruhi away and up the staircase and they were on their way toward his music room, leaving a rather peeved looking Shima behind them in the foyer. 

"You seem to be feeling better today," Haruhi said with a smile, at which her companion nodded vigorously with a smile that doubled the intensity of her own. 

"I _do_ feel better today! I can't wait to get started with this lesson! You have no idea how happy I am that it was me you came to in your hour of dire need!" Tamaki said grandly as he pushed open the door to his music room. 

"You're really the only person I know who plays piano," Haruhi said, and Tamaki's face fell slightly. "But… um… of course I still would have come to you anyway because I trust you," she continued, hoping to redeem the situation. Tamaki started beaming again and she let out a sigh of relief as she was led into the music room. The sumptuous room looked even more gleaming and fanciful than the last time she had been in it. Everything had obviously been cleaned and dusted vigorously, and soft armchairs had been pushed around the piano, which had been moved over beside the windows. 

"What do you think?" Tamaki asked excitedly. "I fixed it all up for our lessons!"

"It… um… looks nice," Haruhi said as Tamaki wandered into the room, looking more excited by the moment. She was relieved to see that the empty, lonely look that had been set deep in his eyes before seemed to be completely gone for the moment, and she reveled in it. It was more wonderful than she had realized to see her senpai happy, and she simply let it soak in as he led her gently over to the piano and took a seat on the bench, patting the lacquered white surface beside him as a motion for her to sit down. She did, and he beamed at her.

"Are you ready to get started?" he asked kindly, and Haruhi nodded.

"Sure. Thanks again for doing this for me, senpai. I'll have to think of some way to repay you for it."

"It's no trouble. When I do things for you, it's not like when you break a vase; there's no debt that comes with it. No strings attached. So just relax and let's have fun, okay?" he assured her. Haruhi was surprised at how much calmer and more mature he seemed when he was seated before a piano. 

"Okay," she agreed with a smile, and Tamaki grinned back and then turned his attention to the ivories. "Okay, the first thing I should tell you about is middle C…" Tamaki pressed down on a key in the center of the keyboard and the sound resonated through her. "It's at the very middle of the piano. And as far as remembering notes, my mother taught me a little trick when I was a child. The D parks in the single car garage." he pointed to the key between the pair of black keys. "That means that the white key between every set of two black keys is a D. If you remember that, then it's easy to remember the notes because they go in order. A, B, C, D, E, F, G… and then they repeat. There are only 7 notes on the piano not counting the flats and sharps. There are just a lot of octaves where the notes repeat. Does that make sense?" 

"I think so," Haruhi said with a nod, and it made her happy to see him smile and then go about teaching her to play her scales. She decided that this was extremely pleasant and not at all as exhausting as she would have expected it to be. It was just the two of them and the piano acting as a middle man for their interactions in this large and quiet room full of music. When she could play from A to G without her fingers slipping from the keys and he had taught her about Do, Re, Mi, he announced that she had learned enough for the evening. 

"It's almost seven," he said, looking at his watch. "I don't want to keep you too late. I know you probably have to make dinner."

"Yeah," Haruhi nodded and stood, smoothing out her slacks. "Thanks for reminding me. I'll be back again on Thursday?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Tamaki said with exaggerated melodrama, smiling as he opened the door for her. He escorted her to the front door despite her mutterings of protest, and at the door they said goodbye. As Haruhi made her way toward the gate, she smiled a bit to herself. The lesson had gone much smoother than she had expected, and she was surprised to find that she was actually wholeheartedly looking forward to the one on Thursday.

"I guess Tamaki-senpai really is full of surprises," she thought aloud as she made her way toward home, her back to the setting sun. 

As the large front door closed under his hand, Tamaki let out an excited whoop and spun in a complete circle in the foyer, prompting Antoinette, who had just been let in from her evening romp in the courtyard, to bark happily at him.

"That's right, Antoinette!" he said, leaning down and rubbing the dog's head. "Today was wonderful! It was so warm and comfortable and I had so much fun teaching Haruhi! Oh, what a joy it is to be the one to teach my darling daughter the beautiful art of the piano!" 

"I trust you're feeling better then, Tamaki-sama?" Shima asked from behind him, and Tamaki nodded vigorously, stroking Antoinette again and then standing up. 

"Yes I am, Shima-san! Thank you for asking! The fact that you care shows your deep and unconditional love for me!" 

"Well, since you don't seem to be nearly as depressed as you've been lately today, it's the perfect opportunity to help you catch up on your finishing lessons," Shima grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and began dragging him in the direction of the mansion's classroom. 

"Shima-san, this is ridiculous! What about dinner!?" 

"Dinner can wait. Lessons in being a gentleman don't teach themselves," Shima told him unwaveringly, and Tamaki waved his arms in distress at the various maid congregating around the stairs on break. 

"Nooooooo!" he shouted as he was dragged into the classroom and the door snapped shut behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to all of you for continuing to follow this story! I'm really happy to see the Ouran fanbase still thriving after all these years. I have around 100+ old TamaHaru oneshots that I might fix up to post here too to get my mojo flowing for something new with this ship too, but I guess we'll see ahaha, I end up running out of time to just fix up one or two chapters of this story a week lately with Sakuracon coming up.
> 
> Anyway, I fixed some embarrassing suffix errors as well as errors with the way the students addressed each other with this chapter. In hindsight it makes me squirm but I guess hindsight is 20/20! I want to keep updating this as quickly as possible! I want work on some new Ouran stuff and some Boku no Hero Academia oneshots too, but I'd like to get a little further in uploading this first to give me incentive,

When Haruhi closed the front door behind her and started ridding herself of her shoes and jacket, the ominous shadow of her father drew up beside her, his arms crossed. Slowly, she turned her head to look at him, and with a sigh she recognized the look on his face.

"Well?" he asked as Haruhi hung up her coat. 

"Well, what?" she asked him. Ryoji raised an eyebrow at his daughter.

"Well, did that insidious Suoh boy act inappropriately toward my daughter in any way?" he asked, at which Haruhi actually laughed a little.

"Of course not, dad. He just taught me a piano lesson. I don't see why you're so suspicious about him. He’s one of my best friends and he's not really the kind of person who's… um… 'insidious'."

"I'm sorry, Haruhi," Ryoji sighed and brushed a hand tenderly over her hair. "I guess I just don't trust him around you! And what with what happened the first time I met him… with him lying on top of you like some kind of—"

"That was an accident. I'm pretty sure he was more freaked out about it than you were. You just don't know him very well. Give him a little credit, will you?"

Ryoji sighed. "Fine. I'll try to stop being so suspicious. I just… I worry! The way that boy looks at you— "

"I'm going to make dinner," Haruhi told him, sidestepping the paranoid redhead to get into the kitchen, where she started digging through the cupboards. She had had just about enough of his suspicions, as good as his intentions may be. With the constant melancholy that Tamaki seemed to be trapped in lately, she didn't think he needed anyone saying anything defaming about him, even if he couldn't hear it. 

"I already took care of dinner," Ryoji said as he followed his daughter sheepishly into the kitchen, obviously a bit embarrassed by his own suspiciousness. "I made curry. You don't need to worry about dinner, Haruhi."

"Then I'll make a side dish…" Haruhi said, at which she felt her father's hand on top of her head and looked up at him.

"Just don't worry about it. Relax and have dinner," Ryoji said gently, and Haruhi reluctantly gave in and took a seat at the table, dishing herself up a plate. When she and her father were situated at the table and eating, he smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't let you make a side dish. But you just work so hard, Haruhi. I know you have big dreams for the future, but right now, you've got some time before you grow up. I just… I want you to have fun while you still can."

"Don't worry about it, Dad," Haruhi assured him with a smile. "I have plenty of fun with the host club. We do a lot of interesting things. You don't need to worry about me, okay?"

"Well, alright," Ryoji said, obviously still fretting through his smile. "But I can't help worrying. You're so serious sometimes and I wish… I wish you could relax more often. I wish you would take the time to enjoy yourself."

"I told you, Dad, don't worry about me," she assured him. But she couldn't help thinking as she sat in the cramped kitchen eating her father's slightly overdone curry that maybe this new pattern of spending more time with Tamaki would help her do just that.

**XXX**

Upon arriving at Ouran Academy the next morning Haruhi had expected everything to be normal. She had certainly not expected nearly every girl in class 1-A to have gone completely insane. It began with Momoka, who approached her a few minutes before the bell rang.

"Um… Haruhi-kun?" she asked, at which Haruhi looked up and smiled.

"Oh, good morning Kurokano-san. Do you need something?" 

"Well, not really. I just wanted to ask… did you really go to Tamaki-senpai's house last night?" she asked, and Haruhi, puzzled, nodded. 

"Sure, I did."

"And he's really giving you piano lessons?" Sakurazuka asked in wonder, coming up behind Momoka and fixing Haruhi with an intent stare. It was then that Haruhi noticed nearly every female student in the class had gathered around to listen, and she began to feel more than a little confused. 

"Yes, he's giving me piano lessons. I need a performing arts credit to graduate so… he agreed to help me out," Haruhi explained with a rather confused smile. For a moment, there was only silence.

"You're so lucky!" one of the girls finally shouted, and the others squealed and expressed their agreement.

"What was his house like?" asked another of the girls, and Haruhi raised an eyebrow.

"Big?" she asked.

"Did he have any pets?"

"Yeah. He has a dog."

"What about his servants? Is he nice to them?"

"Sure," Haruhi replied, starting to feel more and more overwhelmed. "He treats them like his family."

"Oh that's so sweet! Does he have an amazing bedroom?" asked another of the girls, and Haruhi shrugged.

"I didn't go in his bedroom," she answered. "But why is everyone acting like Tamaki-senpai is some kind of celebrity?"

"Don't you see, Haruhi-kun? At Ouran, Tamaki-senpai is a celebrity!" Renge exclaimed, finally making herself known in the crowd. It was the longest Haruhi had ever seen her be quiet, and she was certainly making up for it now. "All members of the host club are, of course, but as King of the club, Tamaki-senpai draws in a certain amount more fandom than the rest… he's almost like Keita Tachibana!"

"Tachibana?" Haruhi asked. "You mean Kyouya-senpai's associate?"

"No no no!" Renge gasped, obviously shocked. "Keita Tachibana is the singer for w-inds.! Surely as savvy a boy as yourself has heard of w-inds., Haruhi-kun!"

"Um… I'm sorry," Haruhi said with an apologetic smile up at Renge. If Tamaki had taught her anything, it was that turning on the host charm even outside of club hours was a surefire way to smooth over any situation. "I guess I'm just usually really busy, so I don't pay much attention to idols."

"Poor Haruhi-kun! It must be so hard to live life as a commoner! You don't even have time to follow idols!" one of the girls gushed, and Haruhi smiled at her.

"Not really. I actually think I'm lucky. But back to the subject of Tamaki-senpai, if you want to know more about him and the way he lives, why don't you ask _him_ about it? I'm sure he'd be perfectly happy to tell you anything about him that you want to know." 

"Yes!" Renge declared. "An open interview giving insight into the scandalous life and affairs of Tamaki Suoh, lonely king of the host club!" she threw a fist passionately in the air, amid supportive cheers. "To be published in the next issue of Moe Diaries!"

"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea, Renge-san…" Haruhi began, but Renge was already moving away with the other girls to begin writing a series of interview questions and didn't even seem to hear her. 

"Geez, what is with everybody?" Hikaru asked moodily, spinning his pen on the top of the table. "Why are they acting like tono is such a big deal?"

"They _are_ a little crazier than usual," Kaoru noted as he nodded in agreement. "Who would have thought a piano lesson would set them off like that?"

"All of this sudden obsession with Tamaki-kun is probably because of the way he got emotional and ran off the other day," said a sudden voice, and Haruhi looked up to see Kanako standing before them. 

"Kasugazaki-san? What are you doing in a first years' classroom?" Haruhi asked in a manner that she hoped wasn't impolite.

"I came to give something to Hirano-sensei," she explained. "And I thought while I was here I could apologize. I didn't realize my question would have that much of an impact. I'm sorry. I didn't meant to cause so much trouble."

"It's fine. It was an honest accident," Haruhi assured her. "I'm sure Tamaki-senpai forgives you."

"He does," Kanako said with a small grin. "I already apologized to him. But I thought I should tell you three I was sorry too while I was here, because it inconvenienced all of you."

"Don't sweat it," Kaoru told her, smiling. "It was no big deal. If every person who set tono off worried about it, then the whole school would probably be obsessing over it. So, how is Suzushima-san?"

"Wh—what?" Kanako asked, jumping slightly, and then giggling nervously. "Oh he's… he's fine. I get letters from him all the time and he says he'll be coming back to visit soon."

"That's good," Haruhi interjected. 

"Yes, it is. Well, I'd better get going. Class is starting soon," Kanako gave them a small wave. "It was nice talking to all of you. I'll see you in the music room after classes."

"Take care," Haruhi told her retreating back. "That's good about her and Suzushima-san," she said conversationally after Kanako had left, opening her book and glancing idly at the text.

"Yeah, it is," Kaoru replied. "I'm glad they realized how they felt and admitted it. It sucks when two people are in love but are too dense to realize it at all…" he stared pointedly at Haruhi, and she blinked at him.

"What?" she asked. Kaoru opened his mouth, but the bell rang signaling the start of glass and cut off his words before they even began. Almost immediately, Hirano-sensei stepped up from his desk and began taking roll call. 

"Oh well," Kaoru laughed a little. "You probably wouldn't get it even if I told you. You're both really dense about stuff like that."

"What?" Haruhi asked, completely baffled, and Kaoru put a finger to his lips. 

"Class started, Haruhi," he scolded her. So Haruhi shrugged and turned her attention to the lesson, promptly forgetting all about his cryptic words.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that Sakuracon is over with, I'll probably be able to edit chapters more regularly! I have about a month before my next convention, so I'll try to churn out as many as I cam before then!

Haruhi knocked on the door of Tamaki's music room at a little past 5:00 on Thursday, and though when he answered it he looked a bit melancholy, a grin broke out across his face at the sight of her, his eyes sparkling.

"Haruhi! Come on in! You found your way up here by yourself?" he asked happily as he ushered her into the room. 

"Well, I came here on Tuesday so…" 

"You have such an amazing memory!" Tamaki gushed, and Haruhi could feel herself blushing in spite of herself, though she was not entirely sure why. "You're so smart!"

"I don't know about that…" Haruhi muttered, watching him take a seat on the piano bench and motion for her to join him. She sat beside him on the polished, white lacquered wood and watched him smile absentmindedly at her for a moment. She smiled back, and the sunshine in Tamaki's grin seemed to intensify tenfold. 

"I'm glad we're doing this. These lessons," Tamaki said, his voice full of candor. "Spending this extra time with you makes me feel really… needed. And… and special," he grinned tenderly at her. 

"You _are_ special," Haruhi assured him without bothering to stop and think, and Tamaki flushed. 

"Thank you, Haruhi," he said almost timidly, and kept smiling, obviously pleased. "That was the nicest thing anyone's said to me in a while."

"What about all the customers?" Haruhi had to ask. "They're always gushing over you and flattering you and saying nice things—"

"But you were so _sincere_ about it," Tamaki explained, brushing a hand affectionately over her hair. His palm was warm, and Haruhi stared directly into his eyes for a moment, surprised beyond speech and action. "I could tell how much you meant it. And I don't know… I suppose things always tend to mean more coming from you, Haruhi…"

"Really?" Haruhi asked him, resisting the temptation to be flattered. He was staring straight into her eyes and his gaze was not as overwhelming as she would have imagined. She felt herself rooted to the spot by it for some strange, unexplainable reason. It was enough to make her unspeakably confused. 

"Really. Because you choose your words so carefully and… I know when you say something, it means everything because you've put an effort into choosing those words. So the fact that you said that to me… means everything. Haruhi…" 

"We brought refreshments!" came a voice from the doorway, and almost immediately the strange spell was broken. A pair of maids shuffled in, one carrying a tray of snacks and the other a tray of drinks. "Sorry to interrupt. We just thought you two might need something to snack on!"

"Thank you," Tamaki smiled at them, standing up to help them with the trays. There was a tiny hint of disappointment in his expression, and Haruhi didn't want to read much into it as she watched him place the trays on the small table between the armchairs he had dragged over near the piano and then straighten up to smile at her. "Do you want some, Haruhi?" 

"Maybe we should do a little bit of learning first," Haruhi said, gesturing toward the piano. "Then we have something to look forward to when we're done."

"Great idea!" Tamaki praised. He flew into place beside her and gave her a wide grin. He seemed to be recovering from his funk rapidly, and it made Haruhi smile. "Let's see… how about we practice your scales again, and then we'll move on to learning about sharps and flats. Do you remember the order of the keys?"

"Yes, pretty much. The D goes in the garage, right?" Haruhi asked, and Tamaki nodded happily. 

"That's right. Now, let's get started…" he watched fondly as Haruhi played her scales rather clumsily. Her fingers felt unnatural on the keys, as though they were large, clumsy sausages. She plunked endlessly away at the stream of notes regardless, determined not to give up until she finished. By the time she had played from A to G and back again ten times, Tamaki was beaming proudly at her as though she had won a metal in the Olympics. 

"Very good!" he congratulated her. "You're really starting to get the feel for the keys, and it's wonderful. Now, about the sharps and flats. A sharp is a slightly higher version of a note, while a flat is a lower one. They come in handy if you want to play a note that's a little higher or lower in pitch than one of the regular notes. See this one?" he asked, pointing to the black key the followed the D. "For this key, there are two names. It can be a D sharp, because it's above the D, or it can be an E flat, because it's below the E. Does that make sense?"

"I think so…" Haruhi gazed at the black keys, doing her best to grasp it.

"Good. So, it makes a pattern that way. They're all the same. All you need to remember is a black key is the sharp of the white key it comes after and the flat of the white key it comes before. Okay? So, what would this one be?" he asked, pointing to the black key after the A.

"Um… it would be… A sharp or B flat?" she asked, and Tamaki smiled proudly at her.

"That's right!" he exclaimed. He went on to have her identify the two names of each black key on his large piano, and then when she was finished, he spent several quiet seconds glowing with pride. "You're doing really well, Haruhi! You're a great student. I'm happy I get to teach you."

"Thanks," Haruhi smiled at him. "You're a really good teacher. You're making this all really easy."

Tamaki flushed slightly. "Why thank you, Haruhi! Let's see… I think next lesson we'll move on to identifying the notes on the staff. But first, right now we're going to give you a sort of test. I'd like you to play each note on the piano, sharps and flats included, from the left side to the right side. Every time you play a note, I want you to tell me what that note is out loud. Can you do that?"

"I think so…" Haruhi shifted a bit to make herself more comfortable on the piano bench. She leaned over Tamaki to play the lower notes, and she felt herself unconsciously inhaling his scent. He smelled of violets and hyacinth with just a subtle hint of green tea, and reflexively her mouth watered a little. Embarrassed, she fumbled up on the notes and had to take a moment to get her head on straight before continuing. She couldn't keep the redness from her cheeks, and she was stiff and awkward as she played her way gradually across the piano, calling out each note name as she played it. By the time she came to the final key on the right side, she was simply glad to be finished. Tamaki clapped happily and grinned, and Haruhi was surprised when he lunged forward and grabbed her in a signature rib-bruising Tamaki hug.

"That was wonderful!" he asked, holding her against his chest as he oozed with pride. "You're learning so fast! I can't believe what a wonderful learner you are!" 

"Um… thanks, senpai," Haruhi said, squirming slightly in an attempt to get out of his arms. She was, for some odd reason she couldn't quite grasp, being distracted by his aroma again, and it was rather disconcerting. He didn't seem to sense her discomfort, and he kept embracing her as gradually she calmed down and allowed herself to be compressed against his chest. 

"On Tuesday, I'll bring out some sheet music and teach you about where the notes go on the music staff. We'll be focusing on the treble first and then move on to bass!" Tamaki seemed extremely excited, and Haruhi had to smile. "These lessons are a lot of fun, I think. Are you enjoying them?" 

Haruhi grinned at him. "Yeah, I am," she admitted. "These lessons have been pretty nice so far. You're a lot… calmer, when you're at the piano."

Tamaki smiled a bit sheepishly. "I guess it relaxes me," he explained. "There's just this feeling I get when I'm at the piano… like I finally know what everything means. I know it sounds a little silly, but sometimes it makes me feel like it's what I was meant to do." 

"I don't think it sounds silly," Haruhi assured him, and she caught sight of his smile as he gazed absentmindedly out the window. 

"Thank you…" 

"I never realized you were so deep, though," Haruhi said with a grin, and Tamaki turned his attention back to her.

"Are you making fun of me now?" he asked playfully.

"Maybe…" Haruhi replied in a noncommittal sort of voice, smiling at him. 

"Be careful, or you won't have anyone to teach you your staff placement…" Tamaki smiled and then stood up from the bench, ruffling her hair. "Do you want something to eat and drink now, since we're finished with the lesson?"

"Yes please," Haruhi stood up and joined Tamaki where he was pouring lemonade from the pitcher on one tray into the two glasses that had been provided. There was also a tray with tiny delicate cookies and sandwiches, and both of them dished some up and took their places in the armchairs, comfortably relaxed after a successful lesson.

"Thanks for the food," Haruhi told him when they were settled fully into their snack time. 

"Of course," Tamaki replied chivalrously with a grin. "I'd almost forgotten that I'd asked the staff beforehand to bring something in." he paused for a moment, and when he spoke again he looked rather vulnerable. "Haruhi?"

"Hmm?" Haruhi stopped sipping at her glass of lemonade and looked over at him.

"I just wanted to say that… I've really enjoyed spending this extra time with you. It makes me… really happy."

Haruhi smiled at him, slightly embarrassed, and nodded. "I like it too." she paused, looking out the window at the bright evening for a moment. "I was wondering if maybe you wanted to come over after school tomorrow. I could teach you how to make hamburgers. I know you like them."

Tamaki's eyes glittered. "Really?" he asked, sounding enchanted, and when Haruhi nodded he squealed with delight and leaped across the gap between the chairs to hug her once more. "I'd love to, Haruhi! Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!" he whooped, nuzzling her cheek with his and variably shaking with excitement. This was as close to the normal Tamaki as Haruhi had seen since the festival, and so, despite the fact that she was being crushed again, all she could do was smile.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey my dudes! Sorry for the long breaks between chapters. I feel like a fool for taking so long to upload, especially since I have the whole thing already written my god. I tweaked a few things a bit in this chapter even though I said I wasn't going to for the most part because a few of Haruhi's original lines sounded weird and not very right for her, oops. But anyway, thank you for sticking with this story so far!

There was a strange feeling of expectation in the air during classes on Friday. Haruhi was distracted enough to keep looking at the clock, and Kaoru eventually jabbed her gently in the ribs.

"What's up with you today?" he whispered. "You're not even paying attention. This stuff is going to be on the test, you know?"

"I'm paying attention," Haruhi argued in a whisper.

"No you're not," Kaoru said, shaking his head and smiling fondly at her. "You're thinking about tono." 

"What?" Haruhi jumped slightly and was about to contradict him when she realized what he had said was true. Disconcerted, she rubbed her head. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you've got that googly look on your face. I'm not just going to give you the answer as to why you're thinking the way you are, but I know you'll figure it out someday. Boy, are you in for a surprise," Kaoru smiled dotingly at her like a parent amused at the actions of a small child and then turned back to his notes, not giving Haruhi another chance to question him. And so it was that Haruhi spent the rest of the day's classes half paying attention and half letting her mind wander, poking at the mystery of what Kaoru said. It wasn't until later during club duties that this monotony finally lifted. Amid the bustle of lively action in music room three, Haruhi was able to stop puzzling and focus on her job.

"Haruhi-kun, are these tea sets new?" asked one of her customers, and Haruhi paused in pouring a cup of tea for her to smile warmly at her. 

"I'm not sure," she said. "You'd have to ask Kyouya-senpai about that. Sorry."

"You're quite correct, miss," Kyouya said to the customer, coming up behind Haruhi like a ghost. "They were imported from England just this morning." he pushed his glasses back into place and fixed his eyes on Haruhi. "And incidentally they're quite expensive," he said purposefully, and Haruhi grumbled a bit.

"I'll be careful," she told him, resuming with her tea pouring and then sliding the cup across the table to the girl. "Here's your tea."

"Thank you, Haruhi-kun!" the girl smiled at her and then began to spoon some sugar into the cup. Haruhi nodded and then turned her attention to Momoka, who was waiting patiently. 

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Haruhi said, giving Momoka a smile. "Do you want some tea."

"Yes please," the girl told her, and Haruhi poured her a cup and handed it to her and then began to fix a cup for herself. "Thank you!" Momoka added her usual amount of sugar and cream and then began to sip delicately from her cup. "The tea is nice today."

"I'm glad you like it, mademoiselle," Tamaki's silky voice came from over Haruhi's shoulder, surprising her and making her choke on her tea. She sputtered, and Tamaki patting her back in alarm, obviously concerned. "The tea is from China," he went on, still trying to be polite while he tried to stop Haruhi's choking. It was obvious he was at a loss for what to do. "Haruhi, are you alright?" 

"Y--yeah…" Haruhi choked, coving her mouth in case of any tea spray. "I just swallowed wrong." 

"Sorry I startled you," Tamaki said gently, putting his hand on top of her head and rubbing. His palm was warm against her scalp and for a moment Haruhi almost forgot she was choking. "Do you want me to get you a drink of water?"

"No thanks," Haruhi wheezed a bit and then shook her head. "I'm fine, really." she was aware of Tamaki coming around the sofa to take a seat beside her. "Don't you have customers to worry about?"

"You're more important," Tamaki said, and then looked immediately regretful at his rash decision to speak without thinking. Though Haruhi knew it was an unwise thing of him to say because the customers would most likely be offended, she couldn't help feeling secretly pleased, and her cheeks turned red against her will. She happened to glance ahead and notice that nearly every girl in the vicinity was staring at them with hearts for eyes. It was more than a little disturbing. 

"I appreciate the concern, senpai, but I just choked on my tea," she set her teacup down on the table. "It's not a big deal, really. You don't need to make such a fuss over me."

"I'm sorry," Tamaki sounded a bit embarrassed, and he brushed his knuckles against her cheek. "I just can't help worrying. I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you." 

Haruhi began to wonder if all this overly-sentimental candor from him was some kind of gimmick for the customers, but somehow she couldn't even bring herself to believe that, not when he looked so sincere. She had noticed for a while now that things had been different between them since the festival. Before, she had chalked it up to the fact that they had nearly lost each other and now there was always the nagging fear that it would happen again, but she was beginning to wonder if it was something entirely different. Somehow, she saw him in a subtly different way than she had before the festival, as though somehow that brief time in the air together as they fell toward the water had altered reality, left an imprint on their friendship. However, it was never wise to read too much into things, she reminded herself, and promptly made herself forget about it as best she could. 

"Nothing is going to happen to me," she assured him, smiling through her confusion and embarrassment. She was aware of the fact that as soon as Tamaki had spoken, the squeals around them had escalated to an almost deafening level. "Don't worry so much. I don't want anything to happen to you either, but it's no reason to get so worked up over every little thing."

"Okay," Tamaki agreed sheepishly, laughing a little. "Sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry. You just need to remember that, alright?"

"Sure," Tamaki grinned and rubbed her head again. "You always know just what to say to calm me down, Haruhi."

"Do you want to come over at about five?" Haruhi asked, successfully changing the subject to something less awkward.

"That sounds perfect!" Tamaki exclaimed, and almost immediately there was a distant creak and a whirr, and then the steady sound of a powerful motor and the floor opened up and a figure clad in a rather explosive Alice in Wonderland cosplay spun into view on top of a familiar curious mechanism. 

"Does she have tunnels under the whole school?" Haruhi grumbled as Renge leaped down from her platform, a look of madness in her eyes.

"It's finally happened!" the girl declared passionately, putting one hand to her chest. "After all this time of wishing and hoping and yearning, of writing their names enclosed in hearts inside all of our notebooks, the day has come! Haruhi-kun and Tamaki-senpai have a date!"

"A date?" Haruhi's brow furrowed. "Renge-san, I'm teaching him to make hamburgers. I don't really think you can call that a date. And you shouldn’t go writing other people’s names inside hearts in your notebooks!"

"Say whatever you want to refute it, Haruhi-kun! Certainly a boy as romantic are yourself—"

"Romantic?"

"—knows that a date has nothing to do with the activities but the _feeling_ behind the outing. The feeling is key, and you two have that feeling absolutely! I'm so happy for you both!" 

"Renge-san, maybe you should calm down," Tamaki actually looked embarrassed, which was an unfamiliar sight. 

"Shut up you big phony!" Renge said, poking him in the chest. "I'm only putting up with you because my beloved Haruhi-kun thinks you're so wonderful!"

"Who ever said anything about—" Haruhi began, but in the madness she was cut off and no one heard a word she said.

"You two realize that of course you'll have to share every wonderful detail of your evening with me, don't you?" Renge asked. "Everything! The mood, the atmosphere, the activities, the conversations… and the kisses!"

"Kisses?" Haruhi sighed heavily. She was starting to wonder if Renge was feeling alright. This was farther than even her wild antics usually stretched. 

"Every wonderful moment will have to be accounted for so I can release a detailed account of Tamaki-senpai and Haruhi-kun's First Date Love Love Extravaganzaä in Moe Moe Diaries volume 12!" 

"You're taking this too far," Haruhi deadpanned, all her patience gone, but Renge mysteriously failed to hear her. Already the excited girl was up on top of her platform once more and the motor was running, sending her spinning back beneath the floor.

"Au revior until next time, Haruhi-kun! Don't forget to take a lot of pictures!" she called in parting as the floor closed back up around her and left the room looking exactly as it had before. Now that the madness had ceased, Haruhi sighed and rubbed her temples a bit before turning back to Tamaki.

"So, five o'clock?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise it won't take this long to upload another chapter next time. I'll have another one up on Saturday!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cut out a few clunky passages for this one because they were just very embarrassing. I know I said I wouldn't be editing this much to preserve the nostalgia for myself but god, sometimes reading back through your own old writing is just too cringeworthy and you have to do little things to make it so you don't want to burst into flames at the idea of letting it out into the world. 
> 
> I'll definitely be uploading chapters faster now, sorry for the long hiatus.

"It's not a date," Haruhi reminded herself as she grumbled under her breath. She was vacuuming her apartment with the fury of a woman gone mad, and she had just finished dusting her mother's shrine and wiping all of the countertops to near sparkling condition. "You're not seriously letting what Renge-chan said get to you, are you Haruhi?" she asked aloud. "That would be just stupid."

She tried to reason that she was simply cleaning up because she liked the place to be presentable when she was expecting company, and with the host club, the company often showed up unannounced so she rarely got the chance to give in to this compulsion. This did not, however, account for why she had actually made a compromise for Tamaki's sake and put on one of the subjectively nicest outfits she owned; a pale yellow top that actually involved a bit of lace and a voluminous white skirt that was as comfortable as it was feminine, her father had told her proudly upon presenting her with it. She was certainly glad Ranka wasn't present at the moment, or he would have probably had the sense to ask her why she was straightening up like the mayor was coming to visit. She was beginning to wonder if she was going crazy.

"It's not like it's a big deal. Tamaki-senpai has been over here before. It's not as though this time is any different…."

Haruhi normally had enough sense not to take anything that Renge said to heart. The flighty, romantic girl was so different from Haruhi that she had never assumed anything she said or believed could get to her. But it seemed as though it was, and so Haruhi reasoned that she must have merely gone insane. There was simply no other explanation for why she was actually… nervous. Shaking her head at her own silliness, she turned toward the photograph of her mother and simply stared at the woman's smiling, serene face.

"Do you think I'm getting too worked up over this, mom?" she asked, not really expecting an answer and of course not receiving one. 

The silence from the photograph matched her own, and she sighed slightly. "I must be going crazy…" she said out loud as she marched into her tiny bedroom and dug out a shoebox from the closet. There was a bottle of soft, subtle perfume that had belonged to her mother inside, and it felt weightless in her hands. She simply sat there in silence for a moment, relishing the memory of her mother dabbing on this very same perfume. Mirroring those long-ago actions, Haruhi opened the bottle and placed her finger over the hole on the top, tipping it to get some perfume on her fingertip. Carefully, she dabbed some on behind her ears and on her wrists, and shook her head at herself as she replaced the bottle and then walked back out into the main space of the house. She cast another glance at the photograph and smiled. 

"Even though it's not a date or anything… wish me luck anyway?"

**XXX**

"Ahhhhg!" pacing around his bedroom like a madman, Tamaki tore exaggeratedly at his hair. At the door, several maids were standing and looking on with utmost concern, wondering if their employer could possibly have lost his already inconsistent mind. "This is a tragedy! An absolute tragedy! Nothing this horrible has ever happened in the history of society as we know it!" he wailed, at which a loud 'harrumph' sounded from behind the maids and they jumped apart to allow Shima Maezono entrance.

"And what, pray tell, could possibly be horrible enough that you had to call me away from my afternoon tea for it?" Shima asked rather sternly, and Tamaki turned on her, his face a mask of despair.

"Oh Shima, thank the heavens you're here! I'm faced with a horrible dilemma the likes of which this world has never seen!" Tamaki threw his hand against his forehead dramatically, oozing from the very core with self-pity as Shima looked on and shook her head. "For you see… I have nothing to wear!" 

Loudly, slowly, and in a way that sounded greatly pained, Shima exhaled. "Is that all?" she asked.

" _All_?" Tamaki wailed, grabbing the front of her kimono and looking as though he had just lost his firstborn son. "I have to be at Haruhi's house in twenty minutes, Shima! I don't have time to go shopping for an outfit that is proper for the occasion!"

"Then wear one of the countless outfits that you purchased on a whim and never wore, Tamaki-sama," Shima told him, rather patiently given the situation. 

"You don't understand! This has to be _special_! Haruhi is teaching me how to make hamburgers! I need an outfit that will tell her without words—though I'll be telling her with words as well, of course—just how grateful I am that she took the time from her busy commoner life to teach her humble senpai the ways of the burger! It is truly an art form and I feel privileged to even have the opportunity to get near the teaching of it!"

"Tamaki-sama, I'm sure Fujioka-san won't even give a second thought to what you're wearing. The car is already waiting and as you stand here agonizing, you're wasting precious time."

"But I simply _must_ find the perfect outfit!" though Tamaki knew his staff knew him well enough to recognize his signature melodrama, for once the situation went beyond that for the simple fact that this time, there was an actual reason to be agonizing. He had no idea how much stock to put in what Renge had said, but it was enough to get him panicking, anyway. For the first time since the incident with Éclair, the deep and aching loneliness of missing his mother was not the dominant thing in his mind; this evening with Haruhi was. It was all he could think of and it consumed him completely. 

"What if it's a date?" he asked out loud as he threw assorted articles of clothing over his shoulder, hunting for something that would look attractive and humble all at the same time. "And what if Haruhi thinks so too? What if this ends up being a date and I do or say the wrong thing? What if, as her father, I do something to make her hate me? And what if I think it's a date and she doesn't? But what if it is? This would be my first date! In that case, I have to pick something even more amazing to wear just in case! I can't remember my first date ever and be wearing something dreadful! Shima, what did you wear on your first date!? And how can you tell if something's a date!?"

Shima sighed heavily. "I don't believe what you're wearing has much importance on a date. But then again I'm old fashioned…"

"And how do you tell if it's a date!?" Tamaki asked, whirling around and gripping her by the shoulders. "Tell me!"

"If you have a mutual attraction to one another, then I would call it a date."

"A mutual attraction?" Tamaki paled, then flushed. "Well… I wouldn't know about that…" he turned back to his dresser, still red in the face. In the end, he dressed all in a rush and ended up in a pair of jeans and a white short-sleeved button-down shirt over a patterned shirt. He then proceeded to meticulously brush his hair and teeth. Though he had no need to shave his face, Tamaki always kept a bottle of aftershave handy (it made him feel manly), and he slapped some on and relished the brisk tingle. "I'm ready," he announced grandly, stepping out of the bathroom amid cheers from his maids. "Wish me luck!" he was bursting and shaking with nerves, but he grinning brightly as he grabbed his jacket, just in case.

"Good luck, Tamaki-sama!" a chorus of voices saw him out the door and into his limousine, where he trembled with nerves and headed off toward his destination.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chugging along again as promised. Reposting this old work is getting me fired up to write something new, so that's exciting! I've had a Mirio Togata x Tamaki Amajiki fanfiction brewing in my head for a while and I think I might want to try and spit that out at some point, though I'll be sure to prioritize editing chapters of this fic first.

Though Haruhi was alone, she was still slightly embarrassed by the fact that she was actually pacing around the living area, checking the clock every few seconds. It was enough to make her curse under her breath and scold herself rather harshly. 

"That's enough, Haruhi…" she muttered. "You're acting like an idiot. You're going to teach him how to make hamburgers and then he's going to go home. End of story. There's nothing to get worked up about. What Renge-san said didn't mean anything. She was just being Renge-san, after all." 

She glanced at the clock and murmured "He's late," out loud before going to the kitchen to make sure they had plenty of snacks for the umpteenth time. She really could not understand in the slightest why she was acting this way. All she knew was that there was really nothing she could do about it. So when the doorbell rang at five fifteen, she wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt and answered the door with as much poise as she could muster.

"Hi, Tamaki-senpai," she said as she stepped back to let him into the apartment. 

"Good evening, Haruhi," Tamaki grinned at her as he stepped inside and she closed the door behind him. "Sorry I'm late. I got a little caught up in some matters before I left…"

"That's fine. I didn't really even notice the time," Haruhi lied, smiling nervously. "Would you like some tea, or do you want to just get started on the hamburgers?" 

"Whatever you think is best," Tamaki said, smiling. "You're the host, after all." they simply stood there smiling rather stupidly for a moment. "You look… very nice," Tamaki said finally. 

"Really? Uh… thanks. You look nice too. And you… smell like aftershave?" she raised an eyebrow at that; as far as she knew, Tamaki had never exactly had a beard or anything like that to shave off. What was the point?

Tamaki laughed, going a bit red in the face. "Oh… I um… you look very cute in that top!" he muttered, not wanting to scramble for an excuse as to the aroma.

Haruhi resisted the impulse to grumble embarrassedly and instead gave him a rather polite smile and turned toward the kitchen before she said anything to humiliate herself further. This was already awkward and he hadn't even been here for five minutes. "Come on, I'll make us some coffee or tea or something and then we can start cooking. How does that sound?"

"Do you have instant coffee?" Tamaki asked brightly, and Haruhi knew that it was an answer. Shaking her head fondly, she set about boiling water for the coffee and Tamaki stood by and offered to help every few seconds. She declined his offers and scooped instant coffee, sugar, and cream into the cups, adding the amount she knew Tamaki liked in his and then handing it to him.

"How did you know I like three teaspoons of sugar and enough cream that it takes four seconds to pour in?" he asked in awe, taking a sip and watching her as though he thought she was some sort of wizard. 

"I pay attention," Haruhi answered simply, sitting down at the table with her cup. Tamaki followed suit almost immediately. "I guess I just notice little things about you most of all for some reason. I don't really know why." 

Tamaki smiled warmly, and she felt herself nearly blinded by the sunshine in it. "Thank you, Haruhi."

"For what?" slightly confused, Haruhi cocked her head at him. 

"For everything. I know this whole thing probably doesn't seem like much to you, but to me, it's everything. You coming to me for piano lessons, you inviting me over to your house and talking with me and making me coffee and doing things like remembering exactly how much sugar I like in it… I don't know if you know this, Haruhi, but I think you're amazing."

"Oh? Um… thanks, senpai," Haruhi wasn't entirely sure of what to make of his words, and so she simply smiled. "And none of that is any problem. I actually really like spending time with you. I think you're pretty amazing too. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in the host club and I wouldn't have gotten to meet so many interesting people and try all these things I wouldn't have otherwise. So I guess I should be thanking you, too." 

"Then maybe we're even," Tamaki took a long sip of his coffee and then gave her another grin. "You know, right after the festival, for a little while I was absolutely miserable. I'm so used to enjoying life completely, so it was really weird for me. I almost got the chance to see my mother again, and I didn't take that chance. I stayed instead and I thought I would be happy, but truthfully I was just lonely. I've always missed her, but how close I was to seeing her again, that just made it worse. I'd never felt so alone in my life, and I just wanted to get into bed and never get out again. But you changed all that, and I'll never be able to thank you enough for it. Spending all this time with you has made me feel so much less lonely. It's helped me realize that I'm not alone at all. And being here with you like this… it makes me really, really happy, Haruhi…" Haruhi's hand was resting on the tabletop, and slowly, almost timidly, he placed his on top of it. 

"Senpai… uh…" Haruhi was truly at a loss for words. All she could do was stare at his hand on top of hers and realize how incredibly warm it felt. There was a heavy feeling in the air that Haruhi couldn't quite place, so she simply raised her eyes and stared from him to the hand that he had resting on top of hers until the long, intense silence was broken by the jingle of Tamaki's cellphone going off. Tamaki pulled his hand away to answer the phone, and Haruhi kept staring at the place where it had been, perplexed. ' _What was that all about_?'

"No. Yes… of course not!" Tamaki was saying into his phone, and Haruhi sat back and drank her coffee pensively. "Kyouya, don't insinuate things like that. I'm a decent gentleman! I would never dream of— you're ridiculous! Kyouyaaaaaa, stop saying things like that! Did the twins put you up to this? Leave me aloooooone! I'm hanging up now. You've absolutely shattered my belief of your faith in me! I hope you're happy!" Tamaki snapped the phone shut and took a silent drink of his coffee, looking wilty. 

"What happened?" Haruhi asked, at which Tamaki grumbled and then shook his head, brightening once more.

"It was nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing! Just Kyouya being silly! Ha ha!"

"Okay…" Haruhi shrugged and took another drink. She didn't really care what Kyouya had said anyway. The fact of the matter was that Kyouya could have said something absolutely normal and Tamaki could have reacted the same way he did, so there was no point in delving any deeper into the matter. Tamaki was just plain crazy in general, but Haruhi found that she didn't mind nearly as much as she used to. It was starting to seem almost endearing, which was something that almost scared her. Now was not the time for worrying about that, though, because Tamaki had finished his coffee and was looking at her expectantly. Haruhi took several long, scalding gulps and finished her own cup before standing up.

"Okay, let's get started on those burgers," she said, and Tamaki made a small noise of excitement and practically flew to his feet. Haruhi had to take a step backward so he wouldn't barrel into her.

"Okay!" he whooped, and Haruhi smiled and shook her head, moving over to the refrigerator and pulling out the various items required for making hamburgers. She arranged them on the countertop and proceeded to pull out the container of hamburger meat, using one hand to switch on the stove as she did so. All the while Tamaki was hovering over her, practically bouncing up and down with excitement. She couldn't help finding his enthusiasm refreshing; she was so used to being set in a state of quiet acceptance that someone who encompassed so much joy over every tiny thing that happened was enough to break her out of her comfort zone and make her stop and enjoy life for a moment. She supposed it had always been this way with him. She simply hadn't noticed. 

"First, we have to make the patties," she explained, grabbing a chunk of meat. She started patting it into the shape of a burger patty, and Tamaki watched with disgust and fascination.

"Is it really okay to touch raw meat with our bare hands?" he asked, and Haruhi nodded. 

"As long as you wash them afterward," she elaborated. Cautiously, Tamaki grabbed some meat as well and began to shape it as she did. His hands, graceful by nature from playing the piano, got the hang of it quickly and soon he had a perfectly shaped patty. 

"Let's make one for my dad, too. He'll be back pretty late and I'm sure he'll want dinner when he gets home," Haruhi said, and Tamaki jumped on it before she had the chance, molding the meat quickly and proudly. Haruhi transferred the patties to a frying pan and placed them on top of the burner. She handed Tamaki a spatula and guided him gently in front of the stove. "You can be in charge of cooking them. Just use the spatula to peek underneath now and then to see if the other side is brown yet, and when it is, you flip them. Maybe sure to cook them all the way through, okay?"

Tamaki flashed her a thumbs up. "This is fun!" he said happily, and Haruhi nodded. 

"It is, isn't it?" she asked, starting to chop the tomatoes and onions as Tamaki diligently watched the patties like a prison guard would watch inmates. It wasn't long before the patties were cooked and the two of them were nestled in front of the television with homemade burgers that Tamaki was (quite obviously) exceedingly proud of. There was a warm, friendly kind of feeling in the air that made Haruhi smile as they watched infomercials at Tamaki's request and she talked him out of calling to buy every single thing that showed up on them. Gradually, the evening wore on and dinner was eaten and dishes set aside to do later. The two of them lazed on the sofa late into the evening, when the sun began to set and Tamaki's voice began to get calm and hazy.

"I love spending time with you like this…" he said candidly, only half awake with his head perched on her shoulder. Haruhi was so relaxed she could barely mutter an answer. All she was aware of was the warmth of his hair beneath her cheek and the soft scent of lilacs emanating from it before she dropped off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In hindsight, maybe the plot is moving too fast, but that's okay. It gives me a chance to see how much I've grown since writing it, I think. But then again, taking ten chapters to get to this point feels fairly reasonable and I'm probably just overthinking.

Haruhi awoke to the brightness of sunlight on her face. She was not immediately aware of where she was, but she was aware that she was sleeping on something very solid but very soft. Shaking sleepiness out of her head, she blinked awake and looked around. Her eyes didn't feel like they were on fire, so she reasoned that she must have awoken and removed her contacts at some point during the night. At the moment, she appeared to be on the sofa, and when sleepiness finally fell away she became aware of what was going on. 

She was lying with her head comfortably resting on Tamaki's chest, one of her hands curled around a handful of his shirt. Tamaki's arms were draped loosely around her waist, and the whole effect, though embarrassing, was rather secure. However, Haruhi couldn't help realizing that they were acting, for lack of a better sentiment, like lovers. It was this that made her drag herself away from his chest, shrugging her way out of his arms. At her movement, Tamaki stirred and blinked several times, coming awake and stretching with a wide, catlike yawn.

"Good morning," he said absently, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. Haruhi found her glasses on the end table and busied herself taking them out of their case and putting them on. 

"Um… good morning," she mumbled, trying to ignore the strange, alien jab of tenderness between her ribs at the way he was smiling at her. Given the bright way he was grinning, Haruhi guessed that she was the only one who seemed to grasp the awkwardness of the situation. She decided it would be better to keep it that way; a panicking Tamaki was never a good Tamaki. She glanced at the clock. It was nearly seven. Barely time for breakfast before she had to get to the train station; her morning train to Ouran left at seven thirty. She had already stood up and glanced around for her school bag when Tamaki sat up straight and stretched leisurely. 

"What's your rush, Haruhi?" he asked pleasantly, running a hand over his hair.

"We've got to be at the train station in half an hour," she informed him, slipping into her room and stripping quickly, grabbing underthings and then the articles of her school uniform from where they hung on the back of the door. She dressed in record time and stepped out of her bedroom struggling with her tie. 

"There's no need to worry so much. If we're late, then we're late. I can always just have a car come for us," Tamaki said, moving over to her and giving her a fond smile. "Here, let me help you," he untied the sloppy knot she had done her tie into in her hurry and quickly looped it into a perfect knot. He tucked it gently into the front of her blazer and then smiled. "Very dashing."

Haruhi relaxed slightly, as seemed to be her new custom around him lately. "You think so?" she asked with a grin, and Tamaki nodded. 

"It's missing something, though," Tamaki said, straightening out her hair and then reaching into his pocket and pulling out something that he tucked among the short brown tresses. Grinning, he guided her in front of the mirror over the sink in the bathroom. Haruhi caught sight of a barrette with a scowling teddy bear on it peeking through her hair. "I got it for you. That way you'll always remember me, no matter what happens!"

"Thank you. It's not like I could forget you, anyway," Haruhi mused. "You're not exactly a conventional kind of person," she bent over the sink to brush her teeth, and Tamaki stood behind her glancing idly around the bathroom.

"I'll take that as a compliment," he said, and Haruhi couldn't help smiling at him. 

"We really have to get going…" she said, and Tamaki shook his head. 

"Don't worry about it. I need to stop at home and get my uniform, anyway. So let's just take our time. There's no reason to rush… I'll call my driver after breakfast and he'll get us to school in no time."

"Are you sure?" Haruhi asked, and Tamaki nodded. "Well… alright." 

In the end, Tamaki spent quite a good portion of time making her crepes Suzette for breakfast, asking for her help as an excuse to teach her how to make them. They had quite an ordeal trying to get them right, and Haruhi couldn't help thinking as they laughed at repeated failures that she had never had quite this much fun cooking before. By the time Tamaki's driver dropped them off in front of Ouran, they had already missed first period, but somehow Haruhi didn't mind too much. When she was around Tamaki, it was much easier to throw caution to the wind and be irresponsible, and some part of her actually enjoyed doing so. It almost made up for having to dodge the questions from countless girls (some of whom she had never even met) about she and Tamaki's "date" to have had such an oddly enjoyable morning. It got her through the rest of the day with a kind of sunshine to her step, and for the first time she truly understood how Tamaki must feel most of the time. Haruhi had never experienced the phenomenon of having a wonderful day just because of spending the morning with someone, and it was a bit confusing.

"Why am I having this kind of reaction to spending time with senpai?" she asked herself on her way home from the train station that afternoon, her head still in the clouds and her more logical side—which was dominating her actions less and less lately, she worried—absolutely bewildered about its less reasonable counterpart's reactions. "It's not like we haven't hung out before. But this time was different… but I don't know why."

It came to her mind that ever since that day when he had caught her after she fell from that bridge, since that split second when he looked into her eyes as they hung suspended in midair, things around him had been different. It was no wonder, really, she mused as she kept walking. He had _come back for her_ , given up his one chance at happiness to save her. She knew it, and with that knowledge things were bound to be different. Still, she couldn't help thinking that there was something else. There was some other reason beyond her grasp that had changed things so drastically and yet so subtly at the same time. As a straight A student, answers rarely eluded Haruhi, but the answer to the question that plagued her now was just beyond her reach, taunting her. No matter how far she reached out her hand, it wiggled away like a stubborn fish. 

Haruhi was relieved to find that she didn't have to spend long agonizing over it, however. When she got home she found the apartment unlocked and her father waiting calmly in the kitchen for her, sipping at a cup of orange mango tea and looking rather thoughtful.

"Hi, Dad," she said as she entered the room. He looked up at her, and she sighed at the look on his face.

"What in the world were you and that Suoh boy doing on the sofa last night?" he asked, his voice a little too high to be considered calm, but not exactly frantic. "I came home around midnight and you two were… were…"

"Were what?" 

"You were… cuddling like you'd been married for decades! Oh Haruhi, what did Daddy do wrong? Was there some flaw in my parenting that led you to allow that dreadful beast to deflower you!?"

Sighing slightly, Haruhi shook her head. "He didn't… um… 'deflower' me, Dad. I know he might be an idiot sometimes, but pretty much Tamaki-senpai is sort of a gentleman. He wouldn't do something like that. And anyway, we just fell asleep watching TV after dinner. Nothing bad happened. You need to stop panicking whenever I'm alone with him."

Ranka sighed. "I know, I know. I just can't help it! I don't trust the boy! It's obvious he has feelings for you and I don't know if I can trust him not to act on his baser instincts when he's around you! Oh Haruhi, don't you understand!?"

"I think I do," Haruhi said patiently, pouring herself a glass of milk. "But I don't see why you don't trust him. In a lot of ways, you and Tamaki-senpai are exactly alike." 

"Oh?" Ranka cocked his head. He was still wearing his jewelry, dress, and makeup from work and Haruhi realized for just a split second just how much her mother he really looked when in costume. The two had shared quite a similar bone structure. 

"Yeah. You both tend to freak out a lot over little things, you're both high strung and energetic and you like to fuss over me. I guess maybe that's why you don't trust him, huh? Because you see something in him that you don't like about yourself?"

"That's not it," Ranka put down his cup and wrung his hands. "When I was his age I was a bit… irresponsible. I'm just worried that he's the same kind of boy I was."

"He isn't," Haruhi assured her father, not even sure why she was bothering to stand up for her senpai when she doubted the high-strung redhead would ever drop his suspicions about him. "You don't have to worry. Tamaki-senpai is… a good guy. Really good. He would never hurt anyone."

"And you love him?" Ranka asked, and Haruhi choked on her milk. 

"What? No, I don't. At least, I don't think so…" Haruhi stared into her cup as though her reflection would provide some answer. She felt her father's hand fall gently onto her head and he ruffled her hair. 

"I'm sure someday you'll know the answer to that question for sure. And whatever the answer is, remember to listen to this," he tapped his chest. "And not this," he tapped his temple. "No one ever got anywhere by using their brain and not their heart. Now I'm going to go change," he smiled fondly at her with a bit of undisguised pride. "My little girl is growing up." 

When he was gone, Haruhi continued to stare into her cup, a million questions swirling around in her head until she swore she was going to go mad. She began to feel dizzy and closed her eyes. 

"If I'm growing up…" she groaned, resting her chin on her hand. "Then why don't I have any of the answers?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Momoka is actually one of my favorite characters. I'm really happy that we're getting to the point where she becomes a central character in future chapters! I remember I had a lot of fun writing her!

"Kanako-senpai?" a soft voice asked, and Kanako looked up from the textbook she was pretending to read (with a letter from Tohru resting on the pages inside) and caught sight of Momoko hovering over her library table. There was a slight smile on her face and Kanako smiled back and closed the book.

"Oh, Kurokano-chan," Kanako said, grinning happily. "Sorry, I was just a little absorbed. Do you need anything?" 

"No, not really," Momoka took a seat at the table across from Kanako and relaxed, resting her chin on her hands. "I was just wondering… it's been a week and a half since Haruhi-kun and Tamaki-senpai had their date, and I was expecting things to be a little different between them. But Haruhi-kun seems to be the only one acting any differently. I wonder why that is." 

"Well, you know Tamaki," Kanako laughed slightly. "Before I was moved to class B at the beginning of this year, I've been in classes with him since middle school. If there's one thing I've learned about him it's that he's pretty slow about the important things. I'm sure he'll come around." 

"But what if he doesn't?" Momoka asked, tapping her fingertips thoughtfully on the tabletop. "I know Renge-chan goes a little crazy when it comes to those two sometimes but truthfully… I feel the same way about them being a couple."

"Me too," Kanako admitted. "I want them to be together, if that doesn't sound too weird. I know them both pretty well. Well enough to know they make each other happy, at least. The way they act each other, even though I only spend a few hours around them a few times a week at the most, makes it obvious that there's something there."

"But when will they realize they're in love with each other?" a hopeless romantic at heart, Momoka couldn't help getting caught up in the romances of others. Her life was, for the most part, completely devoid of romance and so she liked to immerse herself in the love she saw around her. It was like reading the love stories in fairy tale books she had loved so much as a child. "Should we do something?"

"Of course not," Kanako grinned calmly and gazed out the window at the warm day blooming outside. The trees moved lazily in the calm breeze and the sunlight made the grounds of Ouran Academy bright and hazy. It was a perfect day and made even the air of the library peaceful. "I've never seen anyone more in love than those two boys, to be honest. I'm sure if any couple is going to realize their feelings and do something about it, it's those two." 

"But—" Momoko tried to argue, but Kanako shook her head.

"Nothing good ever comes from interfering. We've all just got to sit back and let things run their course," leaning back in her chair, Kanako grinned at her companion and glanced again out the window. "Stop thinking about it. It's a beautiful spring day and classes are over. I'm sure there are more important things you could be thinking about, right?"

Sighing softly, Momoka nodded. "I guess you're right," she mused, her eyes too trailing out the window.

At the end of the northern hallway, on the top floor of the south wing, the door opened to a Hawaiian paradise. 

"Isn't this more of a summer theme?" Haruhi asked Kyouya as they watched the bustle of the rest of the club rushing to their customers (costume changes had come a bit late this afternoon). Haruhi was relieved to see that most of her regulars were not currently occupied, and so she had a moment to relax. She watched the chaos before her with some mild amusement. She caught sight of Tamaki in a red outfit with a yellow feather cape, trying explain frantically the significance. "I'm Kamehameha the Great!" he shrieked amid laughter from the twins. "Don't you see the kingly resemblance?"

The twins, who were dressed as Kanaloa and Lono, the twin deities, were shaking with laughter. "That sounds like something from Dragonball," Hikaru giggled, practically rolling in the floor. "Where do you come up with this stuff?" 

"I don't come up with it!" Tamaki wailed. "It's authentic Hawaiian history! I was going to have Haruhi be Laka and then I was going to be Lono so I could come down from the clouds on a rainbow and marry him, but he wouldn't go for the idea!" Tamaki didn't seem to notice that he was ignoring his customers in favor of arguing with the twins, and the customers didn't seem to mind. They were giggling happily and watching the spectacle as they sipped at their tea. 

"You really want to marry Haruhi, don't you, tono?" Kaoru said mischievously, and Tamaki balked. 

"I… I… it's just a theme, you two! A theme! Just a theme! That's all!" Tamaki was extremely red in the face, and he waved his arms around to get his point across. "I don't know where you two come up with these ideas you get into your heads…"

"Sure sure, it's just a theme," the twins said together, smirking at their hapless senpai. "Whatever you say, tono."

"Tama-chan, Kao-chan, Hika-chan, let's not fight, ne?" Hunny said happily, coming up behind them in his flashy owl costume. Several of Tamaki's customers squealed. Tamaki, who was still blushing and obviously embarrassed, seemed relieved for there to be a distraction, and he slunk back to the girls he was entertaining.

"You look so cute, Hunny!" one of them giggled, and Hunny grinned happily. 

"Thanks! I'm Tama-chan's aumakua!" Hunny explained happily. "That means I'm his family totem and guiding spirit! Isn't that cool?" 

"I want Hunny-senpai to me my guiding spirit!" Sakurazuka declared, and Hunny laughed.

"I can be _all_ of your guiding spirit!" he stated happily. "Now, who wants to eat!? We have sweet bread!" 

"There is also poi, lomi salmon, laulau, and a kalua pig," Kyouya continued helpfully, stepping away from Haruhi to fit into his role as a sort of educator. It never failed to amuse Haruhi watching him spout random wisdom during club themes. "All of it is available at the various tables around the room. It's all traditional Hawaiian cuisine and you're of course welcome to it." 

"Kyouya-senpai looks so cool as Kane," one of the girls whispered. Mori, who was dressed as Ku, the deity of war, stood by silently pouring the girls glasses of pineapple juice. All in all, the day was quite festive and Haruhi, who was never opposed to learning about the culture during a theme, was actually enjoying herself. So it caught her by surprise when her day took a turn for the awkward.

"Haruhi-kun?" asked Sumire, snapping her attention away from Tamaki, who was prancing around again. It wasn't so odd to be watching him, really, she told herself. Of course he always caused quite a ruckus and so it was natural for him to be the center of most peoples' attention.

"Yes? Do you want some more pineapple juice?" Haruhi asked pleasantly.

"Yes please," Sumire replied, and as Haruhi was pouring the drink into the coconut cup, the customer squirmed awkwardly. "Um… Haruhi-kun, I actually wanted to ask you something…"

"Sure," Haruhi stopped pouring to smile brightly up at her. "What is it?" 

"Are you and Tamaki-sama… in love?" 

Haruhi choked on nothing and promptly spilled pineapple juice all over herself, soiling her dress. "Wh-what?" she asked, eyes wide. She was baffled and she was red in the face. It was rather embarrassing to be seen this way and she tried to regain her composure but failed miserably. "I… I… of course not…" she laughed nervously, and Sumire looked apologetic.

"I'm so sorry, Haruhi-kun!" she gasped, covering her mouth. "I didn't mean to make you spill on yourself!"

"That's… that's fine…" covering her red cheeks, Haruhi sprang up from the sofa. She wasn't sure why she was reacting this way; it wasn't like her to get to flustered over something so small. She muttered something about going to change her clothes, musing on the fact that she really, truly had to be going insane. There was simply no other explanation. She had to wait until she was safely hidden behind one of the curtains of one of the changing areas that she could take a moment to calm down.

"Why did that question affect me like that?" she asked herself as she slipped out of her soaked dress. She was dressed as Queen Ka'ahumanu and she found it slightly awkward and embarrassing, given the situation, that this particular monarch happened to have been Kamehameha's favorite wife. She was grateful to see that she had entered the same stall she had changed into her costume in previously and that her uniform lay neatly folded on a chair. No sooner had she pulled on her uniform slacks and was starting to pull her undershirt over her shoulders when the curtain fluttered.

"Haruhi, are you alright? You just ran off in such a hurry I—" Tamaki stopped midsentence at the sight of her half naked and his cheeks flushed a brilliant ruby shade. He seemed to be on the verge of full fledged panic.

"Close the curtain," Haruhi said calmly. Somehow, this ridiculously awkward moment seemed to have given her back her dignity. It was probably because _one_ of them had to have a cool head, and there was no way it was going to be Tamaki. "Don't make a scene. Just close the curtain and turn around until I finish getting dressed, okay?" 

"Okay," Tamaki squeaked, sliding the curtain closed and turning to face it. Haruhi finished pulling her shirt on and buttoned it in a hurry. 

"You can look now," she said as she groped for her blazer. Tamaki handed it to her and she muttered a soft thank you and pulled it on, doing up the two buttons in the front. Tamaki, seeming as though he was trying to make up for his rash decision in following her into the changing room, handed her her tie and smiled sheepishly, his cheeks still red.

"I'm sorry, Haruhi," he whispered, and Haruhi blushed too, shaking her head. 

"Don't worry about it," she assured him, sighing softly as she let him gently tie her tie for her. His face was still the reddest she had ever seen and his hands were shaking a bit. 

"You're so understanding," Tamaki said softly, smiling almost shyly at her. "Thank you for not being angry with me."

"It was just a simple mistake," Haruhi told him reassuringly, smiling slightly nervously. "So you don't need to worry about it."

"Thank you," Tamaki leaned down and kissed her cheek briefly. For a moment there was only silence, and they stared at each other in shock, surprise, and maybe a bit of horror. "I… I'll see you out there!" Tamaki gasped, covering his mouth. Almost immediately he made a run for it, leaving Haruhi to stand with a look of absolute confusion on her face and her hand resting on her cheek in the place where he had kissed her.


	12. Chapter 12

"What did I do?"

Tamaki paced aimlessly around his bedroom, where he had immediately flown after school without his post-club ramen. From one end of the room to the next he paced, his heart thundering in his chest and his cheeks burning. He knew, though he was not always the best with grasping the ramifications of his actions, that what he had done had probably not been at all wise. He wasn't even entirely sure why he had done it, and he was even less sure why his heart was beating this way, why his head was spinning, and why there was a feeling in his chest as though he might just fly away.

"I kissed Haruhi…" he worried aloud, pacing so quickly he knew Shima was going to come along and scold him for wearing a trench in the carpet. "Why did I kiss Haruhi? I mean… it's… it's alright since I'm her father and all, isn't it? Doesn't that mean it's alright?" there was no one in the room to answer him, but nevertheless he continued to talk aloud to himself as though there was a whole crowd of people present. He stopped beside his bed and grabbed Kuma-chan, staring the glaring bear in the face as though he would somehow provide him with answers. "But since she got so red when I did it, maybe that means it wasn't okay? Maybe it means that I overstepped my boundaries? Oh, Haruhi, please forgive me!" he wailed.

"Tamaki-sama, please stop pacing," Shima's stern voice came from the doorway. He hadn't bothered to close the door behind him when he entered, due to his state of grave panic, and so behind Shima half a dozen servants were staring into the room looking like they wondered what could possibly be making their young charge fret this time.

"Shima!" Tamaki wailed, barreling into her chest the way a child with a scraped knee might to his mother. "Thank goodness you're here!"

"And what, pray tell, is the crisis this time, Tamaki-sama?" Shima asked, giving him her usual severe face. It was impossible to tell whether Shima was irritated or simply in a neutral mood; she looked grumpy no matter what.

"I kissed Haruhi!" Tamaki wailed. "And now I'm so embarrassed! I don't know why I did it and it was like I couldn't help myself! My lips had a mind of their own!" 

"There there," Shima said in what was a fair approximation of a comforting tone. "There's no need to fly off the handle. I'm sure this whole thing will work itself out just fine it you stop worrying about it."

"Stop worrying about it?" Tamaki practically shouted, and the servants in the doorway shrank back slightly. "How can I? Oh Shima, you just don't understand!" 

"I suppose I don't…" Shima sighed heavily and turned toward the door. "Shall I have someone bring up your afternoon ramen?"

"No thank you," Tamaki said, polite but frantic as he whipped out his phone and began to dial. He put it to his ear and listened to it ring in a state of silent but mad panic for a moment until a rather irritated 'hello' met his ears and almost immediately he was talking, breathless and nonstop and not entirely understandable.

"Tamaki," Kyouya said calmly after roughly thirty seconds of babble, "Calm down. I can't understand a word you're saying."

"I kissed Haruhi!" Tamaki wailed, and for a moment there was only silence on the other end of the line. 

"You kissed her?" Kyouya's voice was laden with actual surprise, and Tamaki wet his lips with his tongue. 

"On the cheek," he said quickly, and listened to Kyouya breathe for a moment.

"I see."

"No, you don't," Tamaki gasped. "I kissed her and I don't know why I did it! I did it without even thinking! It was almost as though it was something normal to do, something I was used to."

"Ah—"

"But it's not normal! It's not normal at all. But then again, maybe it is," Tamaki said. He had begun to pace again, despite Shima's warning. He was a ball of energy and nerves and he simply could not stand still. "Because Haruhi is my daughter, after all. And as her father I—"

"Tamaki," Kyouya interrupted sternly. Tamaki immediately quieted. Kyouya was using _that tone_.

"Yes?" he asked rather meekly.

"She is not your daughter," Kyouya said, his voice almost too calm. It was somehow eerie. "And you are not her father. She is a girl that you happen to be very close to and that you are compelled to kiss on a whim. Now, why do you suppose that is?"

"I… don't know," Tamaki admitted. He felt his cheeks heat up a bit. 

"Haruhi is your friend. And you kissed her. I assume you want to kiss her again?" Kyouya was very businesslike, as though he was discussing stocks or a business proposal. 

"I… I… yes," Tamaki was surprised to realize, and his cheeks burned. He worried for a moment they were on fire and had to cradle the phone with his shoulder so he could reach up and touch them to reassure himself. They were not on fire, but they were hot. He caught sight of himself in the mirror on the wall and his cheeks were the color of a fire truck. 

"It's not normal to want to kiss a friend. You don't want to kiss me, do you?"

"No!" Tamaki exclaimed, disgusted and somehow a little offended. "Of course not!"

"That's because you only see me as a friend. But you don't see Haruhi as a friend anymore, do you? Something has changed. I believe you're finally beginning to see Haruhi." 

"But what do I do?" Tamaki asked helplessly. "And why is this happening?"

"It wouldn't be fair if I told you. You have to figure some things out on your own or you won't learn anything at all," Kyouya was using the professional voice he always did when he was about to swiftly end a conversation. "So I want you to stop panicking and think about your feelings. Just do that. Think and figure out exactly how you feel toward Haruhi. Goodbye," almost immediately Tamaki had the dial tone buzzing in his ear and he snapped his phone shut, a little disgruntled.

"What does he mean?" for a moment, Tamaki stared out the window, retreating inside his mind and puzzling and puzzling over everything that swirled inside. A question loomed before him so massive and so important that he could not believe his mind had failed to ask it before. "How… how _do_ I feel about Haruhi?"

****

XXX

Haruhi was in a daze for most of the afternoon. She spent the walk to the train station and then the ride to her stop staring blankly ahead, clenching and reclenching her fists. Even in the bright sun on the walk back to her home, all she could do was blink and mumble to herself like a child who could barely grasp speech. She barely had the coordination to get the key into the lock and stumbled into her apartment, still dazed. Her cheeks burned as she ran over the day's events in her head, always coming back to that one moment when those warm lips had pressed against her cheek. Almost instinctively, Haruhi's fingertips reached up to brush that place, and her cheeks flushed.

"A kiss?" she asked out loud, leaning against the inside of the door with a heavy sigh and staring around at the small confines of her apartment. Her head swam and no matter how many times she thought back on that moment, her cheeks burned as if it had only happened a second ago. "Why did he kiss me?" she was completely at a loss as to what to think of the kiss. Had he simply gone temporarily insane? Was there some method to his madness? Thinking these things simply wasn't healthy, and she did her best to push the thoughts away. It was better not to dwell on things that she would rather not think about; the consequences of these thoughts, she knew, could be rather unsettling. She did her best to ignore her rushing thoughts and made tea calmly in the kitchen. She was still idly stirring long-dissolved sugar into her cup when her father slammed cheerfully into the apartment. 

"Good afternoon, Haruhi!" he shouted from the living room. Haruhi could hear the rustle of material as he hung his coat up. "Making tea?"

"Uh… yeah," Haruhi answered as her father swept into the room, painted up extravagantly in tasteful makeup. "Want some?"

"Yes, please," Ranka said merrily, moving to pour himself a cup. "Is something wrong, Haruhi? You seem so distracted and your face is red."

"Oh!" Haruhi's hands flew to her cheeks. "I'm fine, really. It's nothing. Just thinking a little, that's all."

"Oh?" Ranka asked, sitting down across from her at the table and fixing her with an intent stare. Resting his chin on his hands, he stared her down until she looked away and into her tea, which had by now gone cold. "And what, pray tell, could my little girl be thinking about to make her so very distracted?"

"It's nothing, really," Haruhi gave him the most cheerful smile she could muster and took a long drink of her tea. "Hey um… hey Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Never mind…" Haruhi smiled and drank some more of her tea. She didn't want to give him any details, she realized, as nice as it would be to confide her swirling thoughts in someone she could trust. There was something unsettling in the way her heart ached and raced and could not seem to sit still when she remembered how soft and warm the pressure of that kiss had been. She had felt like she was flying. She had felt like anything was possible. It was a feeling that was almost unreal and she didn't want to know what it meant just yet. She was simply too deeply in shock to even consider what these feelings might mean. The best thing for her at the moment was to simply try to ignore her thoughts on the subject of the kiss. But no matter how hard she tried to keep her mind occupied by other things, one question kept coming back to haunt her. 

_'Why in the world did he kiss me?'_

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for the clunky exposition of the first chapter XD hopefully it'll get better from here on out. Again, I know the writing quality isn't the best, but I still want to share this with the world anyway. This whole fic is kind of a doozy length-wise, so thanks if you bear with me until the end.


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